Deal signed on town's future

Arun District Council and developer St Modwen Properties joined together to sign a development agreement to herald the town centre's regeneration.

Arun's leader Gill Brown joined St Modwen's regional director, Tim Seddon, to put pen to paper for the aspirations.

Their acceptance of the agreement '“ at 9.53am in the town hall council chamber '“ means that St Modwen has the legal backing to create its plans for the Regis Centre and Hothamton sites.

Some 50 people were present to witness the milestone moment in Bognor's history. St Modwen is now able to talk to potential occupiers of the buildings planned for the locations '“ on the seafront and along Queensway '“ with certainty about its proposals.

The company is also committed to submitting a planning application next summer with its formal vision of the areas.

The seafront location is earmarked as a leisure and entertainment destination with a 500-seat auditorium as part of a combined cinema/theatre, as well as other crowd-pullers such as ten-pin bowling as well as restaurants and 168 flats.

For the Hothamton site, the emphasis will be on at least 25,000sq ft of offices, shops and a market square overlooked by 126 flats. A new health centre and library are also possibilities.

The overall effect of the far-reaching ideas will be to create a vibrant, popular and successful town centre.

Cllr Mrs Brown said she had an overwhelming sense of excitement about the far-reaching proposals.

'These are exciting times for Bognor. There is much for our residents, our visitors and our businesses to look forward to over the next few years.

'Such impressive and extensive developments will not appear overnight. But they will happen and this signing marks the beginning,' she pledged.

Mr Seddon said excitement, pride, vision and commitment were among the ingredients for the regeneration proposals.

'Put all those together and you have quite an exciting cocktail for Bognor and its greater surrounds.

'From our perspective, it is onward and upward with this regeneration,' he stressed.

He defended the inclusion of a cinema and theatre within the entertainment building when Bognor already has those attractions.

'It is all about building on what Bognor already has and making it better,' he commented. 'We want to make it a destination that people will be proud to come to. Our scheme will draw people in from a wider area than currently happens.

'That's how we create the positive change that Bognor so patently deserves.'

n More reports on pages 2 & 3