By David Tingley

When the reality of Bolnore first landed in Haywards Heath back in 2002 it was not met with universal approval. There were stories left, right and centre decrying the ‘Disneyland nature’ of the development – which argued the ‘fake’ thatched cottages and old barn didn’t fool anyone.

What first started as 800 homes, and ended as 1,200 when the final house was sold at the end of last year, has been the largest housing development in the area for decades, all put up by Crest Nicholson.

The Sales and Marketing Director for Crest Nicholson South said: “We are very proud of the community we created here. The enviable village location coupled with its proximity to excellent transport links, proved the development very popular with families, first time buyers and those looking for a bigger home. The high demand we encountered when building the development was astounding and kept us coming back to build more phases. The last phase was completed in October 2018, marking the end of an era at Bolnore Village.”

But what of those who have lived in Bolnore since the beginning?

Alison and Neil Tomlinson, who moved into Phase 1 in December 2002 not intent on staying, are now in their second Bolnore house. Neil explained: “In those early days, with everyone being in the same boat, there are no established cliques or neighbourhood circles that can be tricky to penetrate. The longer we lived here, the more we established a wider community friendship circle too, with looking after neighbours pets and getting a hand with jobs around the house.”

Elspeth and Alastair McPherson moved into Bolnore in 2004. Elspeth explained that she liked the fact that people had energy and drive to make the place they live the best it can be. “With a vibrant Resident’s Association early on, carols and summer fetes were organised, plus an arts group which ran events and created art for the village.”

“The best builder story I heard,” she went on, “was one of the groundwork contractors who was able to retire early after building so many patios at weekends!”

Jenny Bleackley (who moved from Hove with her husband Adrian in November 2002) remembers the Customer Service Manager who used to walk around the muddy construction site in her high heels: “All the men were frightened of her!”

When describing the best bit of life here, she goes on: “After good friends made and sense of community, I would say the peaceful, wooded environment is special, with an easy walk to the town and the station.”

So, after all the builders have driven off site what we are left with is a (relatively) new community which has pulled itself up from the very beginning. Having established not only social connections but also in organisational terms numerous folk spearheaded the creation of a Residents Association which turned into a Community Interest Company – to genuinely look out for the best interests of those who happily class themselves as residents of Bolnore Village.

Happy 18th Birthday Bolnore!

[Full story with photos in January 2020 issue of Cuckfield Life magazine]