'Consigned to the history books' - Iconic pagoda-style former home of The Body Shop in West Sussex has been demolished
Demolition works have been completed at the iconic pagoda-style former home of The Body Shop in Littlehampton.
Photos taken in early May showed demolition works had started at the former warehouse in Watersmead Business Park, Wick.
Two months on, new photos show the building has been razed to the ground.
Photographer Eddie Mitchell wrote: “Body Shop pagoda HQ consigned to the history books – served Littlehampton well over the years.”
The council gave the green light for the demolition of the headquarters in March. A new planning application was issued for the site in June.
The application (LU/93/25/PL) – submitted to Arun District Council – is for units five to seven at the business park off Norway Lane.
It requested the ‘part demolition, conversion, refurbishment and re-elevation’ of the current units and subsequent construction of retail (food and non-food), leisure and food & beverage units – together with associated car parking, access, loading areas, landscaping and associated works.
The most common response to the demolition has been one of sadness at the loss of such an historic and iconic building.
These are some of the comments left on the Littlehampton Gazette Facebook page.
Susan Stockwood: “What an awful waste of an iconic building.”
Tracey Munnelly: “Part of our history. Anita Roddick would be so sad.”
Jimmy Beeney: “It was a beautiful building. I remember it being built, now I'm witnessing it being demolished.”
Karen Regester: “This makes me so sad. So many memories working at that place. The friendships formed to be treasured forever, and where I met my husband. I remember seeing this building since forever and will be a shame for this landmark to be no more.”
The plans involve two former Amazon warehouses and the former Body Shop HQ and would see the three-storey building and warehouses redeveloped into nine separate retail units.
The nine retail spaces will see seven retained warehouse units, whilst two will be new-build infill units.
There would also be changes to pedestrian-route and road layouts, planting areas including a pond, more parking spaces including EV bays, and ‘sustainable’ drainage infrastructure.
The plans are set to be decided by Arun District Council by August 28 and can be found at www.arun.gov.uk/planning-application-search using the reference LU/93/25/PL.
In February, Hallway Properties announced the first steps in a proposed redevelopment project that would pave the way for a new wave of shops in Littlehampton.
The developer promised the plan would feature ‘some of the biggest names in retail’, adding: “The proposals aim to transform this long, unused space with a vibrant mix of retailers, featuring clothing and food stores, offering improved convenience for surrounding communities as well as new local jobs and training opportunities.
“The submission of technical documents marks the first step in the planning journey, with public consultation on the proposals due to be announced separately soon and a planning application submission in Spring. The early technical submissions relate to initial demolition works on part of the site to facilitate enabling works and site investigation.
"Furthermore, they also include screening the project for an Environmental Impact Assessment in preparation for a future planning application. Both will be explained further in the forthcoming community consultation.”
It comes after news at the end of last year that The Body Shop was relocating its head office to Brighton.
The company, a stalwart of British high streets for almost 50 years, opened its first store in Brighton in 1976.
Founded by the late, Dame Anita Roddick, the little green shop went on to become a global phenomenon, scaling to over 1,900 stores, in 75 countries. The Body Shop pioneered a new approach to selling cosmetic products that was totally at odds with the norms of the industry, putting ethics and sustainability at the heart of its products.
A man named Vincent Gray is keen to build something at the Watersmead Business Park site in the businesswoman’s memory. Read more at https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/people/proposal-made-for-sculpture-in-memory-of-the-body-shops-founder-dame-anita-roddick-in-littlehampton-5199318