Bognor parking campaigners' outrage

During Bognor Regis Civic Society’s meeting, residents were told £29,000, used from car park money collected from across the district – including Bognor – is given to Littlehampton’s free parking scheme every year.

This means the total amount of money put forward so far is £406,000.

The news came as a shock to residents who met to discuss how they want to use the £500,000 available from the Sainsbury’s supermarket development on the A259. Rick Johnson of Normanton Avenue said: “Why are we different from Littlehampton?

“There is nothing to sell in Bognor, absolutely nothing. The council could have introduced something into Bognor years ago but it hasn’t got the will to do it. Bognor is backwater as far as ADC is concerned.”

Chief executive of Arun District Council (ADC) Ian Sumnall was at the meeting at the Royal Norfolk Hotel on the seafront to answer questions. He told residents ‘an offer has always been on the table’ to have a similar free-parking scheme in Bognor.

In Littlehampton its town council pays £29,000 and traders pay £6,000 a year along with ADC’s £29,000, to fund their scheme.

Residents unanimously supported the Civic Society’s idea for a two-hour parking disc scheme across the town-centre car parks in Bognor.

The watchdog believes the scheme is the best way to use the £500,000 in regenerating the town, but it encouraged its members and residents to come up with any other ideas.

Employing a town-centre manager was an idea put forward. A local dentist said it could be worth investing in an artist who could spruce up all the shop fronts.

But society deputy chairman Hugh Coster said: “I think we all have to get back to the real world. Look what happened in Worthing – all the time the town-centre manager was working for it, the footfall was plummeting.

“That is because they did a deal with NCP and they put the parking charges up. Shopper footfall went down. This came to a head when Primark expressed an interest to be in Worthing. It examined the footfall and decided against going there.”

Under the Section 106 agreement between West Sussex County Council, ADC and Sainsbury’s there will be: £200,000 for new bus services; £10,000 for improvements to the bus stop opposite the site;; £50,000 for footway and cycleway improvements in Shripney Road; and a shuttle bus service between the store and town centre.