“Our ambition remains the creation of sustainable, high-quality and genuinely affordable homes for our residents. We believe Homes England is the ideal partner to realise those ambitions for Worthing.

“I’m excited that within months this barren land will be back in use for the community while the work to unlock the potential of this site begins.”

Alison Crofton, Homes England’s chief property officer, said: “Homes England has worked closely with Worthing Borough Council over the past year to agree a united approach. We are pleased to be working in partnership with the council to create a scheme that will enable the delivery of a development that meets the needs of the local community. 

“Teville Gate is a key regeneration area for Worthing and a challenging brownfield site that has the potential to have a transformational impact on the town.” 

Homes England will work up high-quality proposals for the site that reflect its prominent location in Worthing and provide vital new homes for the area.

Drafting development plans, securing planning permission, appointing developers and preparing the site before building work can begin would take up to three years to complete.

Homes England has therefore agreed to purchase the site immediately and to then hand it back to the council to use while it carries out the preparatory work so that the site does not sit empty in that time.

Council officers plan to bring Teville Gate back into use for the town in time for summer, and will welcome interest from businesses and the community for what they could do with the site.

Teville Gate will be the first site in the South to be delivered using Homes England’s Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund (BIL). Launched in 2023, the primary

objective of BIL is to bring forward strategic sites and housing-led opportunities that support economic growth and long-term housing supply, with at least 60% of activity focused on brownfield land.

Teville Gate was bought by the council for £7m in 2021 to drive forward the regeneration of the key site because of a series of failed deliveries. Selling it now will save the council £850,000 in interest payments while also allowing the Homes England project to begin.

The HMRC car park will remain open for the next three years, providing an estimated £300,000 of income to the council over that period, while any use of the site before building work begins could also generate funds for the council.

Like Union Place and the Grafton car park, Teville Gate is an important town centre site that the council is committed to regenerating for the benefit of the community, with sustainable developments that create new genuinely-affordable homes that local residents need.

A report on the proposal was considered by Worthing’s joint strategic sub-committee last night (Thursday 14th March). To read the report visit https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/documents/s12099/2024.03.14%20-%20WJSSC%20-%20Agenda%20item%2010%20-%20Teville%20Gate.pdf.