Worthing
February 21st, 2022Council's response towards achieving Carbon Neutral endorsed by Department of Environment Minister
Worthing Borough Council has been praised by Conservative Minister for Nature Recovery and the Domestic Environment, Rebecca Pow MP, on a visit to the town for it's wide variety of work to help achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. The minister was met by Tim Loughton MP and Conservative Council Leader Kevin Jenkins to explore the Sussex Bay initiative. It was explained how the council has sought to become the first local authority in the UK to lease the seabed off their coast from the Queen in a pioneering project to invest in climate change measures and restore marine habitat. This move paves the way from an ambitious plan to create a Sussex Bay Marine Park along the entire county coast, east and west, to protect vital marine life, restore estuary habitat and even create a destination for eco tourism. It is seen as the 'blue mirror' to the South Downs, with all the environmental protection, tourism and potential job opportunities that could be created.
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February 16th, 2022
Work begins on new car-free Montague Place
Work to transform Montague Place into a more attractive place for shoppers and tourists has begun.Worthing Borough Council consulted with businesses and residents about its plans to use government funding to pedestrianise the road - cutting traffic pollution and creating a better place for people.
Work has begun on the site after West Sussex County Council gave approval for the road to be permanently closed to traffic.
Montague Place has been closed to traffic since June 2020 so the Council could increase social distancing between visitors in the heart of the town centre following the first lockdown, but this was only agreed as a temporary measure during the pandemic.
Now the current road surface will be raised and decorated so that the whole of Montague Place is level, making it more appealing for visitors and businesses. Extra lighting will be provided and new planters will be installed, as well as parklets - areas of seating surrounded by plants and shrubs - to make the area even more welcoming.
The Council, working with West Sussex County Council, will then ask residents and traders how they would like the area to look in the long-term, before giving the road a complete makeover. Work on giving Montague Place its permanent new look could begin in 2023.
Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Cllr Nicky Waight, said: “The proposed enhancement to Montague Place will make the area more user-friendly to pedestrians and will provide a link between Montague Street and the seafront.
“This will then be a more attractive and green space for residents, visitors and local businesses.”
The disabled parking spaces that were temporarily relocated to Marine Parade outside Marks & Spencer have now been made permanent, whilst new disabled bays have also been installed in the Montague Quarter car park. The loading bays at the seafront end of Montague Place will remain in place for business use.
There could be some slight disruption over the next eight weeks before the road fully reopens to visitors in time for Easter. The work is being paid for using Welcome Back funding, secured from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in response to supporting town centres during the pandemic.
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February 11th, 2022
INSPECTOR BACKS COUNCIL FIGHT TO PROTECT VITAL GREEN SPACES
Efforts to protect the green spaces that border Worthing have been strengthened by the support of a government inspector, a report says.Two open spaces known as the Goring Gap to the west of the town and Brooklands in the east are considered as crucial to protect the integrity of the community and prevent urban sprawl.
The report to members of Worthing Borough Council’s Joint Strategic Committee (JSC) says initial feedback from a Local Plan Inspector has strongly indicated he accepts the argument that the sites should remain undeveloped and describes this as ‘a good news story’.
Members of the JSC heard although his final report is awaited the inspector had made a strong inference that Local Green Gap (LGG) status should be awarded to both Chatsmore Farm and the Goring-Ferring Gap and that an even stronger protection Local Green Space (LGS) should be applied at Brooklands.
The timing of the inspector’s intervention was also described as very helpful coming at the time an appeal hearing against the Council’s decision to refuse a plan by Persimmon to build 475 homes at Chatsmore, north west of Goring railway station, was being heard.
A decision on that appeal is expected later this year but the Council is hoping the Local Plan inspector’s indications will work in favour of continued refusal.
Leader of Worthing Borough Council, Cllr Kevin Jenkins, said, ‘I welcome this report and the strong indications that all our hard work to produce a robust Local Plan to both protect our vital open spaces while creating opportunities for much-needed new homes on brownfield site within our urban areas is being recognised.
‘We will continue to fight tooth and nail against any attempt to fill in these much needed open spaces and we will do so armed with the tremendous amount of work and expertise that have gone into creating this Local Plan.
‘I look forward to the council being in a position to formally adopt this Local Plan later in the year once the inspector's report is published so that we get vital protection for these green spaces.’
Despite the Council being under pressure to meet government-backed house building targets the report says the inspector has indicated he wants to see proposals to allow 60 homes to be built at Titnore Lane removed from the Local Plan. The report accepts this intervention and says the number of homes can be made up by slightly increasing density at a number of brownfield sites.
The full and final report from the inspector on the Worthing Local Plan is expected in the Spring
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February 10th, 2022
Key Worthing seafront site up for grabs this summer
A key section of Worthing’s seafront is available for rent as a tourism magnet again this summer.Since 2019, the Worthing Observation Wheel (WOW) has stood on Marine Parade between Worthing Seafront Beacon and the Coastal Office at the bottom of Montague Place during the summer months.
More than 50,000 people have taken a trip on the attraction in that time, generating funds for Worthing Borough Council to invest in public services and encouraging visitors to the town.
Now the Council is inviting entertainment businesses to bid for the chance to get in on the action by taking over the site from 1 April.
It could be used as the home for a giant wheel again, a similar style of attraction or something entirely different - it’s up to operators to come forward with ideas for what they’d like to do on the site.
Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Cllr Nicky Waight, said: “The observation wheel has been an eye-catching attraction for the town centre over the last three years. It’s generated income for the Council as well as bringing more feet to the street, helping our many independent shops and businesses to survive and thrive during the pandemic.
“Marine Parade had the WOW factor again last summer and we’re excited to see who might be interested in taking over the site to help draw in the crowds this year.”
Operators interested in taking over the site should visit the Council’s dedicated webpage for more information.
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