A pool plan for Teville Gate

That's the hope of Paul High, Worthing borough council's cabinet member for leisure, speaking a day after pre-demolition work started on the 1970s eyesore shopping precinct.

Contractors moved in on Monday to block off the precinct's pedestrian walkway between Teville Road and Railway Approach.

But Mr High warned that such an early start on building the pool depended on the result of "delicate" financial talks going on between the council and the site's owners, the Hanson Group.

Mr High said the talks would decide on what basis Worthing Council would operate the pool as a municipally-run project. When this was agreed, the way would be open to attract a multiplex cinema to the site, plus a restaurant, shops and flats. He continued that the plan was for a main 25-metre, eight-lane pool, plus a learning pool, leisure pool and diving pool.

The present Aquarena would remain in use until the new pool was opened, barring such things as vandalism or maintenance problems.

There were "ring fenced" council funds to pay for the new pool, said Mr High, and it was also planned to provide a new, free paddling pool south of the seafront Peter Pan's playground.

The Teville Gate pool project means there won't be a municipal pool at Durrington Leisure Centre, as envisaged in another option put forward by consultants.

But if there is enough money left over, the council could provide a "pod" pool at Davison School in East Worthing. This sort of pool can be brought in by lorry and erected on-site.

Teville Gate's owners will not demolish the revenue-producing multi-storey car park or the Comet store until the last moment. The original Comet lease has run out and the store is being let on a short-term basis until it is time to move out.

Plans are well advanced to move the other remaining business at Teville Gate, Walkers chemists, over the road to new premises.