Dad slams new Wyshe play area in Sussex village Pyecombe

Simon Kelly, 40, lives in the village of Pyecombe with his partner and four children.

A site known as the Wyshe Play Area was recently redeveloped using £75,000 of grant funding and reopened to the public in early May, following years of community consultation and planning.

But Simon, who works in tech, says the reality has fallen far short of what families expected.

"The park has been opened now, and it's an absolute state," he said. "There's nettles everywhere, dead grass. What's been left is a bit of a joke."

Simon thinks the play area will soon be overgrown (Image: Supplied)

Simon says his 11-year-old son has already been hurt at the new facility.

"He came back covered in stings, with cuts on his knees from the basketball court," he said.

"He said you can't tell which way the ball is going to bounce on there because of all the rocks.

"It's dangerous to leave it as they have done, especially the surface of the basketball court."

Simon believes the play area will become overrun with weeds and nettles (Image: Supplied)

He says the way flooring has been installed is making the problem worse.

"They've put rubber flooring down with gaps all around", he said, "no membrane to stop weeds coming through.

"So it's all full of grass, weeds, nettles."

"It's going to be overgrown and ruined within the next two weeks," he added.

"There's stinging nettles everywhere."

Simon says the condition of the play area is all the more upsetting given how eagerly families in the village had been anticipating it.

Simon Kelly lives in Pyecombe with his partner and four children (Image: Supplied)

"My kids were really excited about the new playground," he said.

"There's lots of young families in the village who were excited — that's one of the saddest things about it.

"If you're a parent, you're really upset. The quality of the new playground is quite sad."

He says frustration is widespread but that many residents don't know who to turn to.

"Everyone in the community is quite upset," he said. "It's an absolute mess," he added.

Simon is especially unhappy with the surface of the new basketball court (Image: Supplied)

The redevelopment of the Wyshe play area has been a long time coming, after Mid Sussex District Council ran public consultations in 2022 and again in early 2025.

The project faced a complicated set of obstacles.

The site sits within the South Downs National Park and carries a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designation, meaning any works required sign-off from Natural England.

Simon says the basketball court surface is not fit for use (Image: Supplied)

A restrictive covenant on the land, its location within an area of potential archaeological interest, and flood-risk constraints all added further complications - including preventing the council from laying a conventional tarmac sports surface on the basketball area.

In October 2025, the council submitted a competitive application to the Veolia Environmental Trust and was awarded £75,000.

Additional funding came from Section 106 developer contributions.

Construction began in late March 2026, and the area opened in early May after an independent safety inspection found no concerns.

Simon is unimpressed with the new flooring (Image: Supplied)

A Mid Sussex District Council spokesperson said: "Wyshe play area was redeveloped in early May, following extensive consultation with the local community.

"It has provided local residents with a safe, more accessible play area for children and families.

"Since completion, some landscaping issues have emerged, particularly with newly laid turf that has struggled to establish in the unseasonably dry weather.

"We have been working with our contractors to put this right as quickly as possible.

"A maintenance programme is in place, and we will continue to monitor the site as it settles, with the aim of keeping the park a welcoming, well-kept space for the community."

The council confirmed it is aware of a complaint from a local resident and has since responded to them.

It said it is placing signs at the park to inform residents that remedial works are still to take place.

Officers and contractors make regular visits to the site, it added.