Nusrat Ghani, MP for Sussex Weald, was pleased to join Crowborough residents in celebrating progress of the new Community Hub located at the rail station in Jarvis Brook.
On Friday 18th July, residents of Crowborough had the opportunity to attend an open drop-in and get the first glimpse of plans to refurbish a disused station building into a new, multi-purpose Community Hub.
For several years Nusrat has been supporting Bev Pashley, who spearheaded the project, and the Community Hub Committee in helping to coordinate and make representations to various stakeholders including Wealden District Council, Southern Rail, Network Rail and GTR to secure the delivery of the project. After several years of negotiations, the lease of the building has finally been signed to the Community Hub which will be operated as a Community Interest Company (CIC), meaning that any profit will be reinvested into the community project.
Work is already in progress to transform the site into numerous rooms for community use by various clubs and organisations including the Crowborough Pantry. Provided that all planning permissions and supporting funding is secured, the aim is to have the Hub up and running by Christmas this year.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Having been supporting the project for years, it was wonderful to join the Crowborough Deputy Mayor and Chair of the Community Hub Committee Cllr Paul Goddard and our local communities in celebrating the start of a very exciting chapter of the project. Community hubs are invaluable spaces for residents across Sussex Weald, helping to tackle loneliness and providing a space to socialise and learn new skills. I’m pleased that the lease as well as several stakeholder grants have already been secured to help with the delivery of this project. The Hub enjoys wide support from the community and once completed, it will be a real intergenerational and fully accessible community asset, bringing together people of all backgrounds over a shared interest. I look forward to watching the refurbishment works progress over the coming months and welcoming this great new facility to Crowborough train station when it is completed.”
