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Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency


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Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info


This website has been partly paid for from the funds made available to every MP to assist them in communicating with and representing their constituents.

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Picture of Norman Baker




2006 press releases

MP backs campaign to save Eastside recreation ground


Newhaven's MP Norman Baker has criticised plans to use the Eastside Recreation Ground for a new base for Newhaven Town football club and pledged to help local residents fight the proposals.

He has also made clear that he believes the consultation exercise carried out by NCDA has been "inadequate and flawed" and called for the District Council to take control of the process itself and start again from square one, if it still wishes to allow the suggested reconfiguration of the recreation ground to proceed.

The MP made the comments at a meeting to which he had been invited with about 50 Eastside Residents this week, when he also had a chance to inspect the recreation ground for himself. He was joined at the meeting by Councillor Liz Lee, the Lead Member for Community Services on Lewes District Council, the body which owns the ground, although the proposals have been brought forward by NCDA.

Norman Baker says: "This was a very constructive meeting and the residents made a number of very sensible and well-informed points. As a result of the information that was produced, I have undertaken to write to John Magness, the lead officer for community provision, asking that the council intervene directly in this matter. I have produced for him a shopping list for action."

The MP is asking for the following:

  1. The council should halt the present NCDA consultation process and start again with one of its own, if, after consideration, it still wants to test the relocation idea
  2. The new consultation should include those who should have been consulted before but were not, including for example Sunday League footballers using the recreation ground at the present
  3. The council should consider whether the Schedule of Restrictive Covenants on the site actually precludes the suggested changes

Lead councillor Liz Lee says: "I will be asking the project team that leads on these proposals at NCDA to consider the feedback and concerns from the residents and the position taken by Norman Baker MP, and to seriously consider alternative sites. Eastside residents have a small but vibrant community and their views are important to Lewes District Council."