The Martlets shopping centre caused a bit of a storm when it was being built. People in Burgess Hill tend o get excited about when the town gets something new (see my review of Burgess Hill McDonald's!). Sadly, it kind of fell flat on it's face.
As a shopping centre, it ticks all the right boxes. 2 floors, an airy polished granite floor, lots of plate glass and units for shops. This is the first problem. For a number of years many of the units were not filled. It gave the whole place a negative feeling like anything still trading could shut up anytime soon.
It's not quite so bad these days and the addition of Wilkinson's, Waitrose and a Costa coffee lend some authenticity to the centre. There is also a food court where you will find butcher's, cheese men and grocers selling their wares. I think that this was a good idea for the centre and encouraged business into it without expensive unit rental overheads.
The local radio station Bright.fm also broadcast from the centre and they play their show within. This is actually better than being assaulted by dreary elevator music that you usually get in this type of place.
I still wouldn't get too excited about the Martlet's, but it has come on a bit and offers a fairly respectable range of shopping options. read more