After years of planning, the project can be brought to life after securing external funding from the Marine Management Organisation, a public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which is creating a prosperous future for seas, coasts and communities.

Thanks to additional funding from the council’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighborhood Fund, Sussex Bay and marine conservation charity Sea-Changers, the facility can now be repurposed to host a cold storage facility, community notice board, ice making machine and sales area.

Work on transforming the rotunda is getting underway from Monday 20th January, with the facility due to be complete in Spring 2025.

Providing a cold storage facility for Worthing’s independent fishermen is expected to increase the shelf life of the local catch, meaning fish is less likely to go to waste.

In total, more than £88,000 has been secured for the project, £53,000 of which has come from the Marine Management Organisation’s Fisheries and Seafood Scheme. Worthing Fishermen’s Society were supported in their bids by Fishing Animateurs, a charity that supports small boat fishing communities. 

Worthing-based business Julian Church & Associates Ltd has designed the plans for the new facility and will be managing all aspects of its construction free of charge. Council officers have been supporting the project with technical advice and support.

The plan, which was approved by Worthing’s planning committee in October, will present an opportunity to revive Worthing’s once-thriving fishing scene. Today, there are only a select group of fishermen on its shingle shore keeping the culture and businesses alive in the town.

The project is also receiving management and funding support from Sussex Bay, a movement committed to regenerating 100 miles of local coastline and rivers and creating a healthy seascape where nature, communities and the local economy can thrive.

Cllr Vicki Wells, Worthing’s cabinet member for environmental services, said: “As a seaside town with a rich fishing heritage, it’s fantastic that our remaining commercial fishers will soon have a new facility where they can prepare and sell their fresh fish to our residents and visitors.

“I really hope the facility can become a landmark for the town’s fishermen and will lead to an increase in buying local and enjoying the highly sustainable fish caught just off our coastline.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to the Marine Management Organisation, Sussex Bay and Sea-Changers for supporting the project and to Fishing Animateurs for assisting with our grant application.”

For more information on the council’s planning application to transform the site, visit https://planning.adur-worthing.gov.uk/online-applications/ and enter the reference code AWDM/1201/24.