This week the Rye Partnership held its AGM at Tilling Green Community Centre. It was sparsely attended which was perhaps not too surprising bearing in mind its low profile in the town. Comparatively few people know of its existence, and of those that do, fewer still can explain what it is for and what it does. Its website describes its operations as follows:
“The Rye Partnership is a community focussed not for profit company formed in 2003 with the purpose of supporting the regeneration of the wider Rye area.
Currently the business operates from the Tilling Green Community Centre which is run as a commercial and community-use centre with long term and casual hire available to local groups, private individuals and businesses. The business also operates a number of commercial and residential property lets in the Rock Channel and Rye Harbour locality.”
So, in nearly 20 years of existence, what has it achieved?
It has a lease from ESCC on the Community Centre at Tilling Green and attached land. A new 30 year lease has been agreed (but, we understand, not yet signed) and as a result it looks as if the building might get a new kitchenette. The attached land is prime for development and an abortive attempt was made a few years ago for a housing association to build on it and re-locate the Community Centre. This fell through and despite the urgent need for social housing, the land still, after nearly 20 years, remains vacant.
It has the premises occupied by the village shop in Rye Harbour together with two flats. The shop front has recently undergone an upgrade and will, sometime in 2022, be repainted. The flats are let.
It has a lease on The Moorings, Rock Channel which is an area that it admits is a challenge and has no finalised plans for at this stage.
Finally it has the fisheries at Rock Channel which appears to be the one success story. The area is fully let and some new units on the site are in the process of being planned.
20 years and just one achievement. This hardly seems to live up to its claim of “supporting the regeneration of the wider Rye area”. Answering questions at the AGM, the chairman claimed that nothing could be planned with the community centre or development until the new lease had been agreed. This is patent nonsense. Most competent business people would be planning well ahead for potential scenarios. In any case, no one is going to develop the Tilling Green land on the basis of a 30 year lease. Any developer, be it for social or private housing would need to negotiate a totally different arrangement with the County Council the new lease excuse is irrelevant.
The question must therefore be asked: is it the concept of the Rye Partnership that doesn’t work or is it the management that needs to change, or perhaps be changed?
Image Credits: John Minter .