Burgess Hill Rural Connectivity Project

Delivery Body: Mid Sussex District Council

Theme: Digital

Coast to Capital GBF Allocation: £3,181,890.00

Project Status: Delivering

 

Summary of Project

The Digital Sussex – Rural Connectivity Project (RCP) will deliver additional digital infrastructure to immediately accelerate the deployment of fibre and support 5G technologies directly into the heart of rural Mid Sussex communities. This involves extending the Mid Sussex-wide open-access fibre network. The project provides immediate rural connectivity to Brighton Digital Exchange, Burgess Hill Growth zone and a spur north from Haywards Heath to Ardingly.

The outreach spurs into local rural economies encourages diversification of rural incomes, through better connectivity, additional commercial opportunities for alternative networks, such as B4RN, Sussex Fibre, supporting 5G accessibility and enabling innovative land management practices. This will be supported via the creation of “Rural Hub” Access Points – in community locations such as Hassocks Library, Mid Sussex Health Care Centre and Hurstpierpoint Village Centre. The rural spine would create 7 Rural Hubs (in Pyecombe, Clayton, Keymer, Hassocks, Fulking, Sayers Common and Muddleswood) and provide Wide Area Networks from locations such as Village Halls, Churches and Rural Business Centres and initiatives such as Desk Village Ltd – which is establishing a number of Rural working centres. Additionally, connectivity north of Haywards Heath would enable ultrafast connectivity to the village of Ardingly and the South of England Showground.

 

Key Outputs

• 393 jobs

• 423 unlocked jobs

• 620 businesses

• 4 apprenticeships

• 6 training for high value skills

• 147 enterprises receiving non-financial support

• 425 enterprises supported (1,904 over 15 years)

• 133 productivity increase (620 over 15 years)

• 40 km fibre infrastructure installed

• 250 additional businesses with broadband access of at least 30 mbps