A survey is being held into plans for a new £19m historical resource centre for East Sussex and Brighton and Hove.
The Keep is intended to be the new home for over 900 years of the county’s historical records and is due to be built at Woollards Field near Falmer.
East Sussex County Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and the University of Sussex are working together on the project and the partners are keen to gain the views of as many people as possible to help them develop their plans.
Leaflets and questionnaires will be available at local libraries throughout East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, at the East Sussex Record Office and at the University of Sussex Library.
Detailed plans of the new building and further information are also available in our section about The Keep.
The Keep will provide a home for all the archives of East Sussex and Brighton and Hove and the special collections of the University of Sussex. The building will also include the library and headquarters of the Sussex Family History Group.
Over six miles of archives, documenting the lives of individuals, places and events will be at The Keep, including written records, maps, plans, films, photographs, prints and drawings. It will be the new home for collections of local, national and international importance.
The partners want The Keep to become a vibrant community resource where all the collections can be seen under one roof for the first time. The new building will be open to anyone who wants to use the public search rooms and facilities. Participation across all ages and sections of the community will be encouraged including schools and colleges, volunteers, community groups and local organisations.
The site has good bus and rail links and good access to major roads. The South East England Development Agency is already funding roadworks in the Falmer area that will improve access to the Woollards Field site.
Following the consultation, the partners hope to submit a planning application for the new building later this summer. If the application is successful, construction work will start in 2011 and The Keep will be open to the public in 2013.
