Bognor poll a waste of cash, says Arun leader

Arun District Council leader Cllr Gill Brown said the referendum about the town's 100m-plus regeneration scheme had proved nothing.

The poll cost Bognor Regis Town Council some 12,000 '“ or 6.38 for every elector who turned out.

It showed those who expressed a view were strongly against aspects of the seafront element of the plans shown so far by the council's chosen developer, St Modwen.

But Cllr Mrs Brown said the referendum's result did not add to the overall debate about the proposals.

Residents had already been given plenty of chances to have their say. An exhibition last January attracted more residents than took part in the poll.

Another exhibition later this year will provide them with the opportunity to comment on the more detailed plans prepared by St Modwen.

"In view of this, the council regrets the expenditure of public funding, through Bognor Regis Town Council, when the questions asked, and therefore the responses given, appear to offer little additional value to the process as it currently stands. The council respects the right of individuals to use this process but feels that the current position already addresses the issues raised in the published questions and the well publicised further consultation will allow the same, if not a better, opportunity for real public comment," she stated.

Her views have put her at odds with those residents who called the poll using a local government law to test democracy. The result of the poll, held last Wednesday, has to be taken into account by councils. They do not, however, have to act upon them.

Cllr Brown, who lives in Aldwick and represents Aldwick East, went on to dismiss the relevance of each of the four questions in the poll.

For the closure of The Esplanade, she said Arun's position was clear. The ideas to realign the seafront and close the road to traffic were exciting in principle. But they could only work if an acceptable traffic route into, through and around the town could be achieved.

Similarly, she said the principle of residential use on the site was well accepted. Arun would only allow 'a significant increase' in the flats from the 168 proposed if the benefits of the additional flats could be justified. The two questions about the future of live entertainment were criticised by her as impossible to accurately answer.

"It is difficult to see how anybody could reasonably answer these questions without the knowledge of what was to be proposed for entertainment provision in the new development," she stated.

It was fully intended to retain live entertainment on the Regis Centre site, along with cinema, and each of the three shortlisted developers wanted the current building demolished.

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Keeping it was the worst supported option.

Tim Seddon, St Modwen's regional director, said the company was working within the development brief agreed by Arun for the regeneration sites.

St Modwen was committed to further consultation as its proposals were further developed, he added.

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