News
Topping out ceremony marks progress at Wealden Community Sports Hub
29 May 2025
Patrick Wyniatt-Hussey
Director
Progress at the Wealden Community Sports Hub has reached a key milestone as the project team celebrates the official topping out of the new clubhouse pavilion.
Representatives from Wealden District Council, Pick Everard and Sunninghill Construction gathered to mark the progress of the scheme, which will deliver modern, inclusive sport and recreation facilities aimed at promoting healthier, more active lifestyles across the district.
At the heart of the development, the clubhouse will provide a central space for the community with facilities including a café, meeting rooms, changing rooms and toilets.
The wider scheme includes two floodlit full-size 3G pitches, four dual use floodlit netball/tennis courts, two padel tennis courts, a skate park, a children's play area, and a perimeter pathway for walking and jogging.
Multi-disciplinary consultancy, Pick Everard is behind the scheme, delivering project and cost management, civil, structural, and environmental engineering services, alongside principal contractor Sunninghill Construction.
Construction is continuing to move at pace, with the structural timber frame now successfully installed for the café and the main structure of the pavilion now complete.
“The positive cross-party collaboration throughout the project team - the client, the consultants, the contractor Sunninghill Construction and wider stakeholders - has been the key to this scheme driving towards success for the Wealden community. It has been a privilege to be part of it and we look forward to seeing it in use from summer next year.”
— Patrick Wynniatt-Husey, project management director at Pick Everard
The site also required archaeological investigations during its early stages, with a heritage storyboard set to be introduced in the clubhouse to honour the location’s rich history.
As part of a strong focus on sustainability and biodiversity, ecological enhancements such as bat and bird boxes have also been integrated into the design.
“The last time I visited the Sports Hub it was still undergoing significant earthwork reshaping which was being undertaken prior to construction. It has however moved along so much in the space of a couple of months, and it is now starting to take shape with the new changing and cafe facilities nearing completion. The new sports hub shows the new Alliance council is delivering on its adopted council strategy to ensure we are making a real difference to the wellbeing of all our residents.”
— Councillor Kelvin Williams, Alliance for Wealden (Liberal Democrat) and lead councillor for Public Health and Asset Management
The project is part of the Football Foundation’s Hubs Programme and received a grant of £3.5million from the Premier League, The FA and government’s Football Foundation.
“The Football Foundation is working closely with our partners – the Premier League, The FA and Government – to transform the quality of grassroots facilities in England by delivering projects like this across the country.
Good quality playing facilities have a transformative impact on physical and mental health and play an important role in bringing people together and strengthening local communities.
This grant award to Wealden District Council towards developing a new community Sports Hub is fantastic news for the local community and will help give more people access to a great place to play.”
— Robert Sullivan, chief executive of the Football Foundation
As part of the funding agreement the site will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by charity Leisure United and managed by the National Football Trust. The hub aims to become a flagship facility for accessible sport and wellbeing in the region.
The Wealden Community Sports Hub continues to progress on schedule, with project completion set for 2026.