Town needs to be made more attractive

It has lost its character

Better shops needed – decent clothing shops catering for older people

There needs to be a good shopping precinct with a variety of shops

There should be a good Department Store

Uckfield has a much better variety of shops

Should be more like old times when Crowborough was more like a village with local shops

There should be a better Post Office

Footpaths need improving and are uneven, sloping and with pot holes

Difficult to use mobility scooter because the paths slope down

They are not cleared of snow and there is no sweeping

Overhanging trees and hedges need to be cut back

Footpaths in the Bluebell Wood should be maintained

There need to be more seats around the town for the elderly

There should be more toilets in town and the existing ones are not signposted

There should be protection and management of wildlife sites and existing tree cover should be retained

Crowborough needs a complete facelift

Better Shops needed – decent ladies & men’s clothes shops

More shops needed for older people

Haberdashery, Butcher and Fishmonger needed

Many shop entrances need better access

Neglected footpaths need clearing

Uneven paving needs rectifying

Seats need to be bolted to the ground as some have been vandalised or removed

Seat needed in the Bluebell Wood

More toilets needed in the town

The Town looks dead and needed enhancing

Gateways to town, particularly Beacon Road end, needs enhancing

Decent shops are needed – there is nothing for the elderly and a better selection is needed – underwear and haberdashery and clothes shops in particular

People have to go to Uckfield or Tunbridge Wells for shopping

There are too many card shops

There used to be a Stead and Simpson but it closed

Happits was good but it has gone also

They have improved footpaths around Brincliffe Road

Hilders Farm Close – lots of parked cars on pavements and there is a sinking path and cracks

Many footpaths are very narrow and bad

Roads need cleaning

There is too much litter

There is disgraceful filth around the town and it needs cleaning up

There is no salting on side roads in snow and ice

Overhanging hedges need clearing

Hedges are growing over some bus stops and road signs

Fir trees need cutting at the top of Montargis Road

More seats needed, particularly on the opposite side to Woolworths

Crowborough Community Hall in Park Road desperately needs re-furbishment and re-vamping – the facilities are very run down and inadequate

There need to be more public toilets in town

Around Eridge Road, there are no facilities for older people and seats are needed

There were plans for the wasteland around Mill Lane/Beacon Roads to be developed but nothing has been done

Crowborough should have more shops – it is a dead town

Post Office facilities are appalling

Pavement along New Road needs improvement

Many paths are uneven and difficult to walk on

There is a good area around the Green which is not used enough for activities or events

The Goldsmith Centre is not used enough

Town needs a complete re-vamp to make it more attractive

It needs a much better selection of shops

It needs shops that they have in Uckfield

Most people go to Uckfield or Tunbridge Wells for shopping because Crowborough does not have what they need

There should be a pedestrianised area

There should be management of existing natural sites to discourage people lighting bonfires and leaving rubbish

Bluebell Wood is full of rubbish and dogs’ mess

There are bad footpaths particularly outside the big chemist and pet shop in the town centre – they are narrow and sloping

One of the paths down to the town centre from the car park has an overgrown hedge and needs a handrail

There should be more seats in the town centre

There should be more toilets – a good site would be where the Christmas Tree is put each year

Street cleaning needs improving

Crowborough has a large population and is growing and there needs to be better facilities

Town Council are a disgrace to Crowborough and don’t seem to be able to agree on anything – an example being the Centenary arrangements where there have been events cancelled because people cannot agree

‘Gateways’ to the town should be improved to make it more attractive

Crowborough is a dead town and desperately needs improving

More shops and better ones including clothes shops

The approach from Groombridge is quite pleasant but once you get to the cross, it looks run down and the facilities are very bad and there is evidence of vandalism

Improvements need to be made to bring it up to the 21^st century

No lay-bys for buses and taxes

Paths are sloping and badly maintained with potholes and uneven surfaces making it very difficult to push a disabled person or pushchairs – need improvement

There should be less graffiti, particularly at the railway station

There is a very badly sited Bus Stop by Safeways by the zebra crossing which means people almost get run over by buses

The re-development of Safeways may cause people to shop outside of Crowborough because many of them do not want to use Waitrose, therefore they might go to Tunbridge Wells supermarkets where there is free parking

There should be free car parking

There should be more disabled parking

Existing tree cover should be maintained and there should be preservation of trees and natural sites – trees should only be cut down with permission and monitoring is bad

Local businesses should definitely be encourage and promoted and retained

Rates are too high

Why does British Steel hold many of the leases?

There should be more local work for young people

Mixed views about appointment of Town Centre Manager – about half said that it would just be another layer of bureaucracy and cost more money, probably in Council Tax, and others said they thought a central person to get in touch with about issues would be a good idea

Farmers Market should be retained but there needs to be transport to it – many people cannot get there but would use it if they could. Others, who use it, like it and think it is a good thing

The Grocers, opposite Waitrose, is doing more local produce

Crowborough needs to have more to offer to tourists – better facilities

What is there for them here?

There needs to be more hotels or places that they can stay

Local businesses should be encouraged

Farmers Market is good but there needs to be transport – maybe minibuses

No hotels for tourists

Town Council cannot agree on anything

Town Manager would be a good idea to take control

The rates are too high and businesses come and go

Local businesses needed to be encouraged

There are too many card shops and hairdressers

There needs to be work with shops to encourage more people to shop in Crowborough

There are too many empty shops

The Farmers Market is good but needs to be more central

There is nothing for tourists

There should not be a Town Centre Manager – nothing for him to manage

The Town Council cannot agree

Local businesses should be encouraged and retained

There should not be a Town Centre Manager – no more Managers required

There is nothing for tourists to come for and nowhere for them to stay

Towns should be capitalising on and making more of Conan Doyle

Farmers Market is a good idea

There should be cheaper cafes in town

There should be a broad spread of local businesses encouraged and supported

The rates are too high

There should be more training for young people locally

Farmers Market is good idea but not well sited – should be in the centre of town

Mixed views about Town Centre Manager – what would he do?

No facilities for tourists

Local businesses should be encouraged and retained by reducing the very high rates so that more shops are filled and less left empty which does not look good in the town

There should be training for young people to link with businesses

There should not be a Town Centre Manager – this would just be another level of bureaucracy

The Farmers Market is very good and should be retained – it would be good to have it more often – say, once a fortnight

Getting to the farmers market is difficult for some people and transport should be laid on – perhaps a free bus to Jarvis Brook?

The town does not look attractive to visitors and although there is the potential for tourism, there is nowhere for people to stay

Not a good bus service at weekends

Not enough buses particularly to and from Rotherfield

Town bus finishes at 2.30 pm

Would like to get to WI Market and also pop-in Coffee Stop at All Saints Church but need transport

There definitely should be free car parking

There should be more disabled parking

Town Councillors should go round in wheelchairs (they carried out this exercise some years ago) and see how difficult it is for disabled people to get around

Signposts are good and do not need improving

Town Council should work with the community and stop wasting money

Not much interest in Health Walks

There needs to be a weekend bus – no bus on Sundays

No buses after 6 pm

There should be free car parking

Some signposts have been vandalised

Not much interest in health walks

Mixed views about transport

Not too bad

They have taken off some buses

Last bus goes at 8.00 pm

Wealden Easylink is good but underused and needed advertising

There is no transport service to hospitals and people cannot get to Pembury Hospital

There should be a rail service to Brighton and Eastbourne

There should be more Bus Stops

There should be free parking

Cars parked around Saxonbury Surgery block the road

Parked cars are a nuisance particularly around school pick-up times when it is impossible to get through

There is a lot of parking on pavements

There needs to be a Traffic Warden

Cars go too fast up Crowborough Hill

Pavements are too narrow so it is dangerous

Not interested in Healthy Walks

Not many people in the Day Centre can access buses

The ones that can said that the service from Crowborough to Rotherfield is not good

There are no buses to Nutley

The Ryder buses are good and the staff are polite and helpful

The Wealden Easylink is not used enough or marketed sufficiently well

Free Car parks in town are very important

Some signposting could be improved

There is a good train service

The service from Crowborough to Brighton and Eastbourne should not have been stopped

There should be a central map showing people where things are

There needs to be traffic calming outside Rumsey Court where there are about 80 older people living – aged 60 – 100 – there needs to be a 20 mph limit from Blackness Road to The Green

There are also too many cars parked up on kerbs blocking paths and school pick-up in this area is a nightmare with cars blocking the roads and paths

Queens Road is very difficult to get through with all the parked cars

Illegal and bad parking should be stopped in the town centre

A Traffic Warden is needed

There should definitely be free car parking

No comment about signposts apart from that they need cleaning

It should be one way through the main street in the centre of town

Interested in group social Health Walks, with Walk Leader, away from traffic where it is often not safe

No buses to the Town Centre at weekends and this is needed – maybe one in the morning and one in the afternoon

People don’t use the trains very often because of having to get on at Jarvis Brook and also they are too expensive

There needs to be a Volunteer Driving Scheme, enabling people to access medical appointments and hospitals, linked to Saxonby Surgery in Croft Road where the majority of residents are patients

Also there needs to be a Crowborough Dial-a-ride Service

The train service is very good now although it is only possible to go to London and not Eastbourne, Brighton or Tunbridge Wells

The town bus is very good but does not always run at the right times

There needs to be a proper Bus Service to Pembury because getting to hospital appointments there is a nightmare

The Wealden Easylink service is excellent although they have recently changed to a different bus which ‘shakes people to pieces’. Many frail and disabled people rely on this excellent service and will not be able to use it if they continue with this bus which is terrible

There is bad parking in the town and Jarvis Brook and this should be discouraged

Signposting everywhere is good and there do not need to be new signposts

There should be free car parking – however, the town is not designed to be swamped by people at the moment because there are not sufficient facilities

There does not need to be footpath promotion

However, a programme of healthy walks would be very well received

There should be a Community Centre with Tea Dances, Exercise Classes, Bowls and a range of events and activities – with transport and a pop-in Coffee Shop. It should contain a Concert Hall and Theatre – this has been needed for 30 years!

There should be a Town Community Diary or Newsletter so that activities could be co-ordinated and not clash

Health & Social Care Services need to be better co-ordinated and people need to know what services they are entitled to

You have to fight for what you need through Social Services – adjustments and equipment to the home in order to be able to stay there

It is difficult to get the equipment you need and there is bad co-ordination between the Surgery and Social Services and a long wait for services and equipment

Services provided by Voluntary Groups in the town is good but difficult for them with rents and costs going up

Many people from this Lunch Group also go to a Darby and Joan Club and Disability Group so they are well catered for socially but would join in activities with a Community Centre if they could get there

Not much experience of anti-social behaviour – sometimes groups of young people hanging around because they have nowhere to go

Young people needs somewhere to go

Lots of vandalism and this needs dealing with

Youths use the car parks around the library and Waitrose for skating and make a lot of noise – they play football and leave a lot of litter around

Quite a lot of problems with anti-social behaviour amongst young people in this area adjacent to Pine Grove

There needs to be something for them to do and somewhere for them to go

There should be more Community Support Officers on foot patrol

Police response is not quick enough when there is trouble

There should be a Community Centre with activities and events for older people

It should incorporate a pop-in coffee place

Transport should be linked to it

Events taking place in Crowborough are not always advertised well

A Crowborough Newsletter/Diary would be a good idea

Health & Social Care - The Manager of the Scheme reported that it takes weeks to organise an assessment particularly on the mental health side and it is very difficult to find the help and support necessary for needy residents

There needs to be better priced flats available for people over 55 to buy

There should be a properly organised Community Centre

Ideal location would be by Morrisons

It should cater for young and old

Daytime activities should include Cards, Dancing, Music, Scrabble

A Pop-in Coffee place

Facilities for Lunch Clubs and other Voluntary & Community Groups - Social/Support Groups including a decent kitchen

There should be a Cinema

There should be a Community Diary

There is no co-ordination of activities between Groups

The Lions Club is very good for the Town

Health Services are excellent and GP Practices at Beacon and Saxonbury very good

However, there should be more home visits available by Doctors

Health & Social Services means that people are looked after very well but some people were worried about potential lack of funding

Good co-ordination of services after discharge from hospital

Happy with health care and it is available if needed

However, comments that there should be more local check-ups available in Crowborough instead of having to travel to larger hospitals further afield

Pembury Hospital were excellent at ensuring that services were in place at home before discharge

There is no transport service to hospitals including Pembury Hospital

Prescription delivery service is needed

There is anti-social behaviour in the early hours of the morning around St. John’s Road particularly after the nightclub

There is bad anti-social behaviour around the centre of town and fear of vandalism

Older people cannot go out at night because of fear of crime

There are only occasional police in Crowborough

More police needed on the street and a better presence

More Community Support Officers needed

There is noise around Oliver Close where there is a Passageway

There is vandalism, bonfires lit and noise from 10.00 pm onwards – this is all around and adjacent to Town Centre

There should be a Community Centre for the whole community

There should be somewhere to pop in for coffee

There should be daytime activities for older people including Chess or Drafts Clubs and Social Clubs

Transport should be linked maybe by a Community Bus

There should be activities for young people

There should be Youth Clubs

There should be a Swimming Pool

There should be a ‘what’s on’ publication

People were very happy with their health care and related support

Some people had Social Services support services and were very happy with everything

They felt supported and were confident in potential services should they need them

Link into Rehabilitation Service after hospital discharge is excellent

Crowborough Hospital is very good

There are not enough police around in Crowborough

There should also be more Community Support Officers around

There needs to be a Community Centre for the whole community – young and old

Facilities should include activities for the young – billiards, darts, pool, table tennis etc.

It should also include catering facilities and a drop-in coffee centre and a range of social activities and events including Tea Dancing, Exercises, Craft, learning etc.

Also a Cinema or film club

There should be facilities for a Lunch Club – the existing CCA Hall, where lunch clubs take place, is very rundown and badly equipped

Possible sites might be at the back of Morrisons after the re-development of the site

Alternatively, the old Caffyns site on Beacon Road

There needs desperately to be more facilities and activities for the young

There needs to be emphasis on getting the young off the streets and somewhere for them to go

Another idea would be an empty shop in town made into a Coffee Shop open until 11.00 pm which would be somewhere to go. This could also be used for older people during the day and then for the youngsters in the evening

There used to be better facilities for youngsters when many of the residents were young themselves in Crowborough

There are also underused buildings, including old football clubs, which could be regenerated and re-vitalised as places for the young people to take part in activities and somewhere for them to go – these also have good car parking

There is too much empire building between Voluntary Groups

There needs to be a Community Directory

There needs to be a Community Diary or Newsletter

Medically, everyone felt they are very well served

Health & Social Services are very efficient – one resident gave them 100%

He had an excellent experience on discharge from hospital when all support services were put in place immediately – home helps and support equipment in the home

Hospital would not discharge him until they were sure everything was in place

East Grinstead and Kent & Sussex Hospital are excellent in ensure services are co-ordinated and laid on before letting the patient go home

Health & Social Services have improved dramatically in Crowborough over the past two years and are much more responsive and better co-ordinated

Homecare Agencies are very good

However, there needs to be a prescription delivery service in Crowborough

And Volunteer Driving Scheme (as above in Transport)

No police around in Crowborough but appreciate the Community Support Officers

There should be a multi-purpose Community Centre with shows, activities and events for the old and young. Somewhere within it to pop in for a cup of coffee

A central site needs to be selected and there should be transport laid on for access

Community Diary or Newsletter might be a good idea but generally, people felt they found out what was going on

The majority of people felt that Health & Social Care Services were good with excellent respite service at Crowborough hospital and good all round care within the hospital and out in the community. Doctors Home Helps and Health Service Nurses very good and people secure in their health provision – also good clinics

There is an excellent Voluntary Car Scheme in Jarvis Brook which provides lifts to medical appointments, shopping, befriending and support in a crisis for older people. This is a ‘lifeline’ for many people who are very much supported by Volunteers belonging to this Group. Without this service, it would be difficult for some people to access medical appointments and hospitals or do their shopping.

A couple of Volunteers reported, however, that it is very difficult for people to get hold of help when they really need it and it takes considerable time (sometimes four weeks) to get the health and social care services in place that the person needs. There is a lack of co-ordination between Health and Social Care and this needs to be improved. The Care in the Community is totally inadequate and people have to be extremely bad before services are put in place. If it wasn’t for Volunteers supporting a person, they would not be able to manage until the care was put in place.

Very good Community Support Officer and people feel much safer because of this presence

Most people said that there was not much anti-social behaviour although they do not often go out in the evening when it tends to occur. Some people had experienced anti-social behaviour, vandalism and graffiti, mainly by groups of young people, but felt it was more of a nuisance than a threat