Grounds & Environment Committee

Agenda

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

To:      All Members of the Grounds & Environment Committee (Kristian Berggreen, David Bunting, Frances Gaudencio, Bill Hatton, Sue Hatton, Peter Richardson, Paul Shepherd and Ian Weir) with copies to all other Councillors for information.

A meeting of the GROUNDS AND ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE will be held on 22 January 2026 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Parish Clerk 15 January 2026

1. TO ACCEPT APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

2. TO ACCEPT DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

3. MINUTES. To accept the Minutes of the Grounds and Environment Meeting held on 4^th December 2025. (Previously circulated).

4. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.

5. OFFICER’S REPORT. (Appendix 1).

6. GROUNDSPERSON REPORT. (Appendix 2).

7. ALLOTMENTS REPORT – Date confirmed for the Oak tree on plot 2A to be removed – Monday 30^th March.

8. GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE TREE WORKS. – This work is now booked in for the end of March to coincide with school holidays. This is to minimise any impact on cars parked along Keymer Road.

A report was submitted to West Sussex Highways for their advice on possible traffic control, there has been no response. Our contractor will put out signs in advance, Deputy Clerk will also display a prior warning sign in the Adastra car park.

9. DOG WASTE BINS – Proposal to install additional litter/dog bins at locations around the village. Using a private contractor to them to empty them. (Appendix 3, 3.1,3.2,3.3)

10. ADASTRA PARK MASTERPLAN.

10.1 SECURITY – Following the reported incident outlined in the Deputy Clerks report, enquiries are being made into the costs of installing CCTV at various locations around the park. Proposed locations are:

• On the side of our building at the car park entrance
• Somewhere on the pavilion building facing into the park or the garage

Planning is in the early stages, members views are sought on this.

10.2 ADASTRA HALL – Users are being disrupted by young people congregating outside the windows and disturbing the activities. A possible solution to this would be to install a shelter on the other side of the park away from the hall. Quotes would need to be obtained.

Members views are sought.

10.3 ADASTRA CAR PARK – Members are asked to consider having new line markings painted in the car park. Three quotes have been obtained (Appendix 4). Please click here to view Appendix 4.

• Batten Road Marking – £1260.00 based in Henfield
• Sussex Driveways – £950.00 based in Newhaven (quote by email)
• Total Line Marking Ltd – £1380.00 based in Gravesend

Members views are sought

10.4 ADASTRA CAR PARK – With the population of the village growing and the extension of Adastra Hall, car parking capacity has become stretched. Members are asked to consider whether any appropriate measures could be introduced to alleviate some of the issues. Methods could include:

• Clearer signage at the entrance to remind people that the parking is only for users of the park and/or hall facilities.
• Introduction of a three-hour limit. Although for this to be effective there would need to be a penalty for overstaying.

Members views are sought

11. ORCHARD LANE – A quote has been obtained for the hire of an Operated Mechanical Road Sweeper/Gully Sucker to sweep/clean along the length of Orchard Lane. Barcombe Landscapes could then provide Type 1 MOT to fill in the potholes.

• 4 Hour Visit: £220.00 (2 hours on site and an hour each way for travel = 4 hour visit)
• Disposal of Waste: £135.00
• Type 1: £60.00
• Total: £415.00

Members views are sought.

12. PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY (PROW). Verbal Update.

13. OPERATION WATERSHED. Verbal Update.

14. URGENT MATTERS at the discretion of the Chair for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.

15. DATE OF NEXT MEETING. 26^th February 2026 at 7.30pm.

Please Note:
All members of the public are welcome to attend meetings of the Parish Council and its Committees. Item 4 – a period of 15 minutes will be set aside for the public statements and questions relating to the published non-confidential business of the Meeting.
It may be necessary to consider particular items in confidential session and where this arises, these items will be considered at the end of the agenda.

FILMING, RECORDING OF COUNCIL MEETINGS AND USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA. During this meeting members of the public may film or record the Committee and officers from the public area only, providing it does not disrupt the meeting. The Confidential section of the meeting may not be filmed or recorded. If a member of the public objects to being recorded, the person(s) filming must stop doing so until that member of the public has finished speaking. The use of social media is permitted but members of the public are requested to switch their mobile devices to silent for the duration of the meeting

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Appendix 1

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                    

Date: 22^nd January 2026

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 5 – Officer Report

The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on (G&E) Matters:

Anti-social behaviour

• In Adastra Park on the 5^th December between 2-3pm, there was an incident during which a group of people wearing balaclavas and riding electric bikes/scooters rode across the grass near the skate park and behaved in a threatening manner towards children playing in that area. We were informed of this by a parent, the incident was reported to the police.

MSDC Street Cleansing Updated Programme

• On 28^th November 2025 Adam Denby and Jamie Hyde (WSCC) met with the Street Cleansing Team (MSDC) to discuss the proposed annual proactive plan aimed at improving the sweeping of hotspots across Mid Sussex, including Keymer Road. Below is the update:

2025

• Keymer Road, along with other known contentious sites across Mid Sussex, including Malthouse Lane, Chalkers Lane, and Clayton Hill, was swept within seven days following the meeting. These initial sweeps have now been completed.
• A twice-weekly sweep is being carried out for the remainder of the current leaf-fall period for these contentious sites.

2026 and Beyond

• Annually, an enhanced sweeping programme will apply to these contentious sites during the leaf-fall period, with twice-weekly sweeping during the peak season.
• We have agreed to share dates of any planned road closures for these roads to help Serco coordinate cleansing activities.

Overall, MSDC have acknowledged that there have been contractual performance issues, and they have escalated this internally to Senior Management both within MSDC and Serco, however, we have agreed that WSCC and MSDC will continue to work more closely moving forward to improve overall service delivery in Mid Sussex.

Winter weather planning

• On 5^th & 6^th January Adastra Car Park and the footpath to the Green Room were swept of snow and gritted using our supply, kept in a salt bin behind the Parish Office. An additional supply of grit was ordered and delivered by Parker Building Supplies to restock the bin.

Orion Planters

• One of the older planters has now been relocated to the grass area at the junction of Ockley Lane/Keymer Road, it will shortly be filled with winter planting.
• The Jubilee planter has been taken away by Greenscene contractors while WSCC are on site. When the works are complete the planter will be put back on site in a suitable place.

GE25/055 FOOTPATH – Friars Oak Road – Woodsland Road.

• With reference to the above minute from the Grounds & Environment Meeting held on 23^rd October 2025. The Deputy Clerk contacted WSCC to request permission for additional signage along this footpath. This is the response:

At present there is no legal Traffic Regulation Order in place to enforce a “No Cycling” restriction on this footpath. Because the existing “No Cycling” signs are not backed by a legal order, we would not be able to consider additional measures such as new poles, carriageway markings, or alternative signage at this stage. We also have no other recorded complaints about cycling along this route, so based on current evidence it would not meet the criteria for further intervention. However, we will continue to keep the site under review.

This item will be reported on at the Highways & Transportation Working Group to be held on 22^nd January @ 2pm.

Garden of Remembrance Tree maintenance

• Our contractor has booked this work in for the end of March to coincide with school holidays. This is to minimise any impact on the parking along Keymer Road.

Bus Shelters 273 bus route

• Following agenda item 13 on the previous Grounds & Environment Committee regarding new bus shelters for the 273 route. There will be a meeting on Thursday 29 January 2026, 11am at Hurstpierpoint Parish Council’s HQ, Village Centre, Trinity Rd, Hassocks, BN6 9UY. Deputy Clerk & Chair will be attending. Would anyone else like to attend?

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 Appendix 2

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL 

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                                

Date: 22^nd January 2026

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk                         

Subject: Agenda Item 6 – Groundsperson Report

• Cleaned all the bins within Adastra Park w/c 15^th December
• Spread woodchip mulch on boggy areas within the park, kept some spare woodchip in case any areas need topping up after heavy rainfall.
• Following the break-in at the Groundsman’s garage, completed a massive tidy up within the garage and surrounding the garage. Cleared unwanted and unusable tools, materials and items. Space has now been made within the garage for installation of the secure metal storage unit for equipment.
• Pothole repairs x 2 down Orchard Lane w/c 15^th December
• Regular routine works such as pitch marking, leaf clearance (particularly in the tennis courts) & seasonal works such as spreading grit on any icy areas of the park.

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Appendix 3

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL 

To:      Grounds & Environment Committee                                

Date: 22^nd January 2026

Contacts for this report: Deputy Clerk             

Subject: Agenda Item 9 – Dog waste bins

Members are asked to consider the following report and proposal to install additional dog waste and/or litter bins around the village:

Current contract

We are charged annually by MSDC for the emptying of 13 dog waste bins around the parish.  They have advised that the service is at capacity. If we require additional collections at some bins other locations would have be amended.

Appendix 3.1 – The location of the 19 bins around the village that are emptied by MSDC. Please click here to view Appendix 3.1.

Appendix 3.2 – List of 13 bins that the Parish Council are billed by MSDC for emptying. Please click here to view Appendix 3.2.

Appendix 3.3 – Invoice for £3924.96 for collections during 24/25. £4.07 per bin per collection. Please click here to view Appendix 3.3.

New contract

A quote from has be obtained from Pet Waste Solutions. This involves purchasing and installing new bins at new locations so there is no confusion between existing bins that are emptied by MSDC.

Weekly collections: £5.75+VAT per bin, per collection

Six new bins emptied weekly: 5.75 x 6 = £34.50 x 52 weeks = £1794

S106 funds available: £13,349, Local Community Infrastructure – these funds could only be used towards the cost of new bins & installation. The ongoing cost of the contract would have to be budgeted. There is £6700 in the budget for 2026-27. After the cost of the existing contract with MSDC there will around £2000 left to fund these additional collections.

Possible locations: Ockley Lane footpaths, new cycle route into Burgess Hill, Damian Way, entrance to the Bellway estate, Clayton Burial Ground.

RECOMMENDATION: Members are asked to consider the installation of new dog waste bins and agree appropriate locations.

 

Minutes

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the meeting of the GROUNDS AND ENVIRONMENT Committee held on Thursday 22 January 2026 at 7.30pm in the Parish Centre, Adastra Park, Hassocks.

Attendees: Councillors David Bunting, Frances Gaudencio, Sue Hatton, Peter Richardson,
Paul Shepherd, Ian Weir, Bill Hatton, Kristian Berggreen.

In attendance: Cllr Maria Angelaki- King, Helen Valler (Deputy Clerk).

GE25/082 APOLOGIES: There were no apologies for absence.

GE25/083 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST. There were no declarations of interest.

GE25/084 MINUTES. It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the Grounds & Environment Committee meeting held on 4^th December 2025 be signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

GE25/085 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION. No members of the public present.

GE25/086 OFFICER’S REPORT.

Members noted the report provided in Appendix 1 of the agenda. The following points regarding items on the report were raised:

• The Deputy Clerk provided an update on the alarm in the Groundsman Garage, following the break in. It was advised that the original speaker, left in place when the alarm was fitted was faulty, a new one should have been provided. The company have now agreed to fit a new speaker free of charge so the alarm sound is louder. If the alarm is triggered it doesn’t notify anyone it just goes off for a limited amount of time.
• The committee were advised of the incident that occurred in the park on 5^th
• The Deputy Clerk outlined the update provided by WSCC in relation to street cleansing. It has also been established that MSDC have no district wide regular rota in place. Keymer Road is on an enhanced programme due to historical issues with flooding.
• Members noted that the grit bin behind the office had been refilled. It was advised that grit bins around the village are only put into use if WSCC declare a severe weather incident.
• Members noted that one of the planters had now been moved to the Ockley lane junction. The Jubilee planter will be replaced once the works outside Sussex Grocer are complete.
• The Friars Oak Rd – Woodsland Rd footpath is discussed as an urgent matters item.
• The Deputy Clerk reminded members that a meeting is taking place next week at Hurstpierpoint Parish Council with regard to additional bus shelters along the 273 bus route.

GE25/087 GROUNDSPERSON REPORT. Members noted the report and requested to be informed of the number of times that football matches are being cancelled during the winter months due to waterlogged pitches.

GE25/088 ALLOTMENTS REPORT – Members were informed that the Oak tree on plot 2A will be removed on 30^th March.

GE25/089 GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE TREE WORKS – Members were informed that the tree works along the boundary of the Garden will be completed around the end of March to coincide with school holidays. Signs will go out in advance to warn people who might regularly park along this stretch of road.

GE25/90 DOG WASTE BINS – Members were asked to consider a proposal to install new dog waste bins at various locations around the parish. The following was discussed:

• The Deputy Clerk explained that there is a total of 19 bins around the parish. The parish council are charged a fee of £4.07 per bin per collection by MSDC to empty 13 of the 19 bins.
• There is no further capacity for MSDC to empty new bins. A new contractor would have to be appointed to empty new bins.
• Cllr Ian Weir kindly provided a list of nine locations that are in need of new bins. The Deputy Clerk produced a map to show these locations. Although it would have been clearer for this information to be on the same map as the existing bins, the information wasn’t available when the agenda went out so it wasn’t possible to incorporate the information onto one map.
• The committee were generally in agreement with the locations, but to keep within budget 7 out of the 9 locations would be chosen.

It was RESOLVED that 7 out of these 8 locations would be chosen to have new bins installed:

1. Close to the Junction of PROW 5K and Ockley Lane OR
2. Junction of Mill Lane and Ockley Lane (route to Oldlands Mill)
3. Near Woodside Grange possibly on the new path leading to Burgess Hill – accessed from Granville Drive
4. At Wellman Grove to serve the new Community Orchard at Ockley Park
5. Close to the Junction of London Road and The Fairway
6. At the Junction of PROW 10C and Five Oaks Way
7. Near Junction of Stanford Ave and Pine Trees
8. Close to junction of Dale Ave and Lodge Lane (or at end of PROW 12K)

Next Steps:

• Deputy Clerk to work with Cllr Weir to identify exact locations
• Exact design of bin to be agreed
• Permission to be organised by contacting the appropriate landowner/responsible party.
• Application made to secure S106 funds
• Enquiries with contractors to arrange installation.
• Agree commencement date with collecting contractor.

GE25/091 ADASTRA PARK MASTERPLAN

GE25/091.1 SECURITY – Members were asked to consider the installation of CCTV around the park to deter anti-social behaviour. The following was discussed:

• Any CCTV would have to be able to identify people in the dark.
• A camera on the pavilion would be within reach so could be vandalised.
• It would be expensive and rather than enabling the police to identify people and prosecute, could only act as a deterrent.

It was RESOLVED that in general members didn’t feel the expense was justified but the matter would be discussed further at a future Park Working Group meeting.

GE25/091.2 ADASTRA HALL – Members were made aware that hirers have been disrupted by young people congregating outside the building. They were asked to consider the installation of an outdoor shelter in an attempt to encourage them to gather elsewhere in the park.

• This proposal has been considered in the past but there were concerns around graffiti, encouraging drug use and vandalism.
• Youth workers or councils in more deprived areas could be contacted for their experience and advice.
• A survey could be considered to ask young people what they would like to see in the park.

It was RESOLVED that this matter would be discussed at a future Park Working Group meeting.

GE25/091.3 ADASTRA CAR PARK LINE MARKINGS – Members considered the quotes received. The following was discussed:

• Could the Biffa Bins be relocated nearby to free up another space.
• Marking out a pedestrian route through the car park to link up with the footpath past the hall.
• Further thought is needed around the two disabled spaces as there is insufficient space on either side for a wheelchair user to exit a car.

Considering the above it was RESOLVED that this matter needed further discussion and the matter would be discussed at a future Park Working Group meeting.

GE25/091.4 ADASTRA CAR PARK USAGE – Members considered the impact on the car park when MSDC introduce charges at their car parks within the village.

• With the population of the village increasing and the success of Adastra Hall there is no simple solution.
• Any restrictions would need to be enforced. Impossible to install a gate as Adastra Hall and park users need constant access.
• The other two carparks could be expanded or improved but access is only available from Orchard Lane/Grand Avenue.

It was RESOLVED that there isn’t an easy solution but the issue could be discussed at a Park Working Group meeting.

GE25/092 ORCHARD LANE – Members considered the quote obtained to hire an operated road sweeper to clean our section of Orchard Lane.

• Members felt that more could be gained by hiring a contractor with a brush cutter & tractor to cut back the hedges on the park side. Then the job of keeping them from encroaching on the lane could be part of the Grounds person’s schedule.
• Some of the properties on the other side of the lane have allowed their hedges to encroach causing the lane to narrow in places.
• Members agreed that the potholes are in need to filling and repair.

It was RESOLVED that, in the first instance, our contractor would be approached for a quote for cutting back the hedges.

GE25/093 PUBLIC RIGHTS OF WAY (PROW).

Cllr Weir provided the committee with an update on the completed works:

• The Hassocks section of footpath 9K & 8K have been completed, very satisfied with the result. The Monday Group are being encouraged to do the Ditchling section.
• Clayton Mills footpath 21K – Hardcore installed
• Crossways Lane 11C – Final length of path south from Crossways completed with hardcore.
• Cinder Path 14C – Repair of three deep boggy areas with sub-base and tarmac.

Update on works proposed for 26/27:

• 12K – South of Downlands School. There are outstanding issues with the line of path to be agreed with the school and WSCC. Contract delivery around August 2026.
• 21K – Clayton Mills to Grand Avenue. Request from resident to upgrade this section. Potential agreement from WSCC to fund or part fund.
• 14C Cinder Path Stage two – In discussion with Network Rail to repair tree and fence issues.
• 18C & 12K – In discussion with landowner.
• 9K South – Landowner agreement obtained. Quote required for path & French drain. Installation Summer 2026.

Future Projects requiring further investigation:

• PROW 3K link to Burgess Hill Green Circle
• PROW 22K
• PROW 23K
• PROW 3C, PROW 4C & PROW 4C-1
• PROW 4C-2
• PROW 9C
• PROW 10C
• PROW 19K

Cllr Weir thanked the Clerk for all her continued work to complete these projects.

GE25/094 OPERATION WATERSHED. Cllr Ian Weir reported that the resident concerned is happy with the completed works. No further works planned.

GE 25/095 URGENT MATTERS.

• Parking Working group meeting is planned for 12^th
• Cllr Richardson reported that a Highways & Transportation Working group meeting had taken place 22^nd Key discussion points were cycle racks outside Sainsburys & replacement of parish road signs.
• Flood Working Group meeting is planned for 25^th

GE25/096 DATE OF NEXT MEETING. Thursday 5^th March 2026 at 7.30pm.

There being on other business the meeting was closed at 9.12pm.