Wealden's Cabinet backed a three-storey, 30-room medical centre at Reef Way for Bridgeside Surgery and Vita Healthcare. Planning application due summer 2027.
Two Hailsham GP practices would move into one new three-storey medical centre at Reef Way under plans Wealden District Council has agreed to take forward.
The council’s Cabinet approved the concept design on 7 October. It chose the larger of the options in front of it: a building big enough for both Bridgeside Surgery and Vita Healthcare. (Wealden, Cabinet printed decisions, 7 October 2026)
Hailsham is about 15 miles south of Crowborough. The council announced the decision on Thursday 15 October. (Wealden, news release, 15 October 2026)
What the building would hold
The concept design is for a three-storey centre. The council says it includes:
- 30 consulting rooms
- reception and waiting areas
- clinical and office space
- meeting rooms and staff facilities
- accessible public toilets
- a larger Changing Places toilet, for people who need more space and equipment
(Wealden, news release, 15 October 2026)
Why Hailsham needs it
NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board has named Hailsham a priority location for new GP buildings. The council’s project page says the town’s population is growing with planned housing, and demand for GP services is rising, particularly from older residents. Current GP buildings in the town are short of space and have little room to expand. (Let’s Talk Wealden, Hailsham Medical Centre)
Bridgeside Surgery is at 1 Western Road. (CQC, Bridgeside Surgery)
Councillor Kelvin Williams (Alliance for Wealden, Liberal Democrat) is the lead councillor for public health and asset management. “Delivering a new medical centre at Reef Way is an important commitment to the people of Hailsham,” he said. He added that the council had “remained determined to move the project forward despite the significant financial and construction challenges it has faced.” (Wealden, news release)
How long it has taken
This is the second attempt. A medical centre was first part of Hailsham Aspires, a wider town centre regeneration scheme. The council ended that programme in March 2024 because it could not afford it. Bids for government Levelling Up money had failed and building costs had risen. The council said then it would carry on with a standalone medical centre. (Let’s Talk Wealden, project background)
What happens next
The council has gone out to tender for a contractor to draw up the detailed design, known as RIBA Stage 3. That work includes more site investigations. A planning application is expected in summer 2027. (Wealden, news release)
The cost is not public. The Cabinet agreed that a further report will come back once the costs of the larger scheme are known “with greater certainty”, asking for the extra budget needed to build it. Officers also have authority to agree leases with the practices and to procure a developer. (Cabinet printed decisions, item CAB 53/2026)
What it means for you
- If you are a Bridgeside or Vita patient, nothing changes yet. The council has given no build date or opening date.
- The next chance to comment is the planning application, expected in summer 2027. It will appear on Wealden’s planning register, and we will report it when it is lodged.
- The money is the risk. The extra budget still needs Cabinet approval, and the earlier scheme was dropped on cost.
The council says it will post updates on its Let’s Talk Wealden project page. For planning news nearer Crowborough, see our Crowborough planning news page.
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