Consultation on the the future of the playing fields next to the Tilling Green Community Centre begins this Friday, May 23. Landlord East Sussex County Council agreed to seek local’s people’s views on the “intention to dispose of” the land at the end of April.
The decision was made by Nick Bennett, ESCC’s lead member for resources and climate change. Both the land and the community centre are currently let to Rye Partnership on a thirty-year lease, which was granted in 2022. The contract on the playing fields part of the site includes an option to break the lease.
The playing fields at Tilling Green are allocated for housing in the Rye Neighbourhood Plan. In December Rye News revealed proposals from Martello Development for 21 new homes consisting of 4 one-bedroom, 7 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom houses on the site.
Martello has put forward plans for 140 new homes in Rye on four separate sites, including Tilling Green. No proposals have been officially submitted.
In February ESCC denied they were planning to sell the site. A spokesperson told Rye News: “We are not currently consulting on the disposal of the playing fields adjacent to the Tilling Green Community Centre, which are leased to Rye Partnership on a 30-year lease. Should the site be identified for disposal in future, and before it is marketed for sale, a notice will be placed in a local newspaper for two weeks. Any responses to the notice will then be considered by East Sussex County Council.”
ESCC now says the playing fields could be sold. “It is… considered likely that the site could be disposed of on the open market, in return for a capital receipt.”
Meanwhile another group is developing proposals for the playing fields. The Rye Community Land Trust has recently been formed, with £5,000 ring-fenced funding from Rye Town Council. Monday’s meeting of the council on May 19 agreed to commission a plan for housing on the site from architects.
The Trust is made up of councillors and local people: Jonathon Bennett, Sylvia Bennett, Cllr Boyd, Cllr Fiddimore, Cllr Rogers, Colonel Anthony Kimber, Christopher Strangeways, Philip Merricks and Martin Blincow.
Details of the consultation are expected to be published at https://publicnoticeportal.uk/
A final decision on whether to sell the land will be made this summer.
Image Credits: James Stewart , ESCC .
Wasn’t houses rejected on the tilling green playing field site a few years ago,because of flood plains concerns,or will this be dismissed, just like the western barn development and allowed, against the current policies of the environment agency, and if it is passed,the same should be allowed for other sites in Rye, otherwise it will be apparent that double standards exists in this town.
As a boy in the sixties there was always a football pitch marked out on the playing fields, this one of the goto places to meet up with friends from Tilling Green and the surrounding area. Surely we need to preserve what few green spaces there are in Rye for the local community and not jump on the ‘free market’ bandwagon and sell off local assets that can never be recovered.
Surely this cannot be built on, another green space being destroyed for ever, what is the matter with Rother council. Also Hastings B C , they seem to want to build on every green space and do not seem to care about the future and how these green spaces are so important,
Its just a disgrace they are even considering this.
Does anyone else see the irony in reporting in Rye News in the same week that there’s a meeting at Tillingham Green Community Centre to tackle anti-social behaviour and also a report on plans to sell the green space at Tillingham Green? The perpetrators need outlets, not to be squeezed in to tighter, busier spaces. Surely the problem needs tackling at the root cause. Why is so much always considered by the council through the eyes of immediate financial gain and not the long term impact of such decisions?
Despite my concerns about flooding on the tilling green site, the town council are desperate to help get more social housing in this town, and i admire them for making a positive move at last, people moan about a green space lost,but their is a huge field opposite called masons field, the council could contribute to turning the old town Salts back to its original state a recreational field for everyone to enjoy and picnic and relax on, instead of the overgrown mess that it has become over the last few years.
As far as I’m aware that field has never had open access, it was obviously the school playing field up until it was closed but is still fenced off so was never used by local kids unless you count the times when we climbed over the fence.
Masons field was left to the kids of Rye back in the 50’s and apart from Badgers Gate and the new Forrest that has appeared is pretty much unchanged.
The play area is much improved from the days when it was first created back in the 60’s but for how long?
Flooding is the standard NIMBY cop out, if it’s not possible to build on the low ground then maybe they need to look higher, oh yes, they did that at Valley Park and look at the moaning that caused.
If these areas are likely to flood why are they spending millions on defences that apparently they expect to work?
The Masons Field was indeed left as a recreation area ,always called the Dump because in the corner ,where Badger Gate was built there were remnants of rubbish as it had been used as a dump site , hence when playing football there , sometimes something would come to the surface .As mentioned above the tilling green school opposite has as far as I can remember ,been left alone , We must try and keep as many playing fields as possible.
We played on the town salts, now a meadow ,on a Saturday for Rye Athletic FC and for the Union Inn Pub team on Sunday Mornings for many years .
I should point out that article is referring to the Tilling Green Community Centre field not Masons field opposite.
my point is that its another green space no longer available for sport and recreation.
Why not leave the town salts clear but have a strip around the banks as the area for native flowers ,therefore still allowing the main part of the field more usable.