Archive for category: News

Despite our temporary move back to the village hall while the church floor is being repaired and  the challenging weather in  January, Chailey Repair Café has  hit the ground running, with a busy  start to 2026. The stormy weather didn’t  deter folks from bringing in a  huge range of repairs to tackle and we are bracing ourselves for whatever you throw at us next! (and the weather improving, hopefully!)

We are now in our 8^th year and in that time have seen an amazing variety of items brought to us for repair. East Sussex is clearly a county of toast eaters, as we’ve had a large number of toasters in recently! Don’t leave it too late to bring us your bikes as we get ready for what we hope is going to be a decent spring. The same applies to those garden tools which have been loitering in your shed over the winter – we can sharpen them and get those mowers and strimmers  to work much better than they did when you put them away!!

We  have an IT team who will not only get your laptop or iPad working properly again  but will also spend time showing you how to use it if you’ve got stuck. It’s all in a day’s work for  this successful local initiative which has gone from strength to strength since we opened our  doors for the first time in 2018.

Our 2026 dates are easy to remember  – we are normally  open every 2nd Saturday of each month between 10am – 1pm. Our new posters and flyers with all our new dates are now available at the Café, so you won’t forget!

Chailey Repair Café is part of a  world-wide movement where volunteer experts repair things free of charge – although a donation towards running costs is invited. Anyone can bring along broken items or clothing needing repair from home, and have a cuppa and a cake while they wait.

You’ll find us at Chailey Village Hall (next to the Five Bells) on the A275 normally on the second Saturday   of each month (14 Feb, 14 Mar, 11 April, 9 May and so on….) between 1000hrs and 1300hrs where we have a full Café service including our legendary cakes!

Contact  us at chaileyrc@gmail.com and we’ll see what we can do to help.

See you very soon!!

Bryan McAlley and the Chailey Repair Café team

New research from Experience Sussex shows that tourism made a significant contribution to the East and West Sussex economy in 2024. According to the report, 50.6 million visitor trips generated more than £4.06 billion for the region (excluding Brighton & Hove). The report also notes a 21% increase in overseas visitors staying in Sussex compared with 2023.

Experience Sussex provides free marketing, training, networking and funding guidance for businesses operating in the visitor economy. The programme is co‑funded by East and West Sussex County Councils and works in partnership with Visit England, Visit Britain and Visit Brighton, aiming to strengthen the attraction of high spending visitors to the area.

Further information is available at Sussex Visitor Economy Resources & Toolkits.

The full report can be found here.

IMPORTANT ROADWORKS INFORMATION 14 January 2026
Blackbrook Lane, North Chailey

Balfour Beatty is working in partnership with East Sussex County Council to manage the highways service across East Sussex. As part of this, we will be carrying out repairs to the bridge on Blackbrook Lane, North Chailey, to improve overall safety to road users and pedestrians.
Works will take place from Monday 2 February to Friday 27 February 2026 between 8am – 4:30pm. We will inform you of any changes to the dates or times via advanced warning signs on site.
What does the work involve?
We will be repairing the brickwork parapet of the bridge to match the existing infrastructure. We will also be replacing the fencing at all four corners of the bridge.
How will this impact highway users?
We will be working at the bridge along Blackbrook Lane which crosses the Pellingford Brook watercourse.
Access will be restricted to residents while we are working, with traffic diverted via Hunt’s Gate, Butterbox Lane, Nash Lane, the A272, the A275, Warrs Hill Road and vice versa.
Information for residents and businesses
Parking: If required, we will put out ‘no parking’ signs and cones on the site to advise where parking is restricted. Please avoid parking in these locations as it will delay our works.
Weather: All of these works are subject to favourable weather conditions, for example heavy rain may affect the progress of the works.
Public Transport: Local bus services have been informed of these works and will be diverted.
Waste collection: Access will be granted for any waste collection.
Properties close to the carriageway may experience a temporary disturbance as this can be a noisy process and those properties may experience flashing lights and reversing sirens.
We would like to take this opportunity to apologise in advance for any inconvenience or disruption this work may cause, however this forms part of our continuing improvement for the East Sussex highway network. Should you have any concerns regarding these works, you can contact us at eshcomms@balfourbeatty.com.
For information on roadworks and journey planning, visit www.One.Network.com. Please follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @esccroads or Facebook @EastSussexHighways for updates. If you would like to know more about East Sussex Highways and what we do, please visit our website www.eastsussexhighways.com.
Thank you,
East Sussex Highways

A Happy New Year to you and Best Wishes for 2026.

A reminder of our Indoor Meeting on Thursday January 8th. A Talk by Sacha Turnbull – Walking and Painting on Chailey Commons – Chailey Village Hall 7.30pm. Parking and refreshments; visitors welcome.

Birch harvesting  for Besom Brooms

Join us for birch cutting for besom brooms on Sunday 11th January 9.30am to 1pm.

Hot drink and biscuit break- please bring a mug. Bring gloves if you have them.

• Meet at Red House Common car park.
• If you have not yet registered as a volunteer with East Sussex County Council please let us know and we can email you a form.

• Please reply to members@chaileycommons.org.uk if you plan to join us.

Earlier this month, we advised that Cabinet Councillors at Lewes District Council would be convening on the 11^th December 2025 to approve the fourth public consultation regarding the draft Lewes Local Plan. The Plan was approved and is now open for public consultation.

The Plan represents a significant advancement in establishing the future development strategy for the district.

Local plans are based on evidence, with data collected to determine where new developments—such as housing, employment spaces, and community facilities—are suitable and where they are not.

According to the government’s formula for assessing housing needs, the district must plan for approximately 15,000 homes throughout the plan period, which concludes in 2042, for its designated area.

Nevertheless, the Council’s spatial strategy can only identify a housing need of around 8,570 new homes during this timeframe. This estimate is grounded in evidence and takes into account the limitations affecting the local plan area, including its borders with the South Downs National Park and the coastline.

It is vital that as many residents as possible take part in the consultation. A strong response is important because when the Plan is examined by the Planning Inspector, the level of community engagement and public support will be a key consideration.

The consultation period is  active up to the  28^th February 2026. To find out more about the Local Plan, please visit https://planningpolicyconsult.lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk/LP_SpatialStrategyandSites