Free parking mooted as plan to boost town centre economy

The suggestion was put forward by Cllr Jim Brooks as he suggested a session to boost the town centre in the face of the severe global financial problems.

He said Bognor Regis Town Council needed to act to help its town centre weather the storm and reduce the risk of the London Road precinct becoming a ghost town.

His proposal of a meeting with business groups, such as the chamber of commerce and networking organisations, was adopted by his fellow councillors as their official policy.

Cllr Brooks said he feared that doing nothing could lead to a repeat of the depressing situation around the voucher parking fiasco of the early 1990s when 14 empty premises scarred the shopping area.

"I have got 12 ideas which could help the town centre. We have to show that we mean this. I am really concerned about what is going to happen to this town," he commented.

Cllr Brooks said he would like to see free parking between 9am and 11am in Arun District Council's town-centre sites.

This would not cost money because motorists would be tempted to stay and pay for a longer period.

Rumours abound about retailers getting ready to follow Woolworths and Card Warehouse and shut their branches in Bognor in a re-run of nearly 20 years ago when the town plunged into despair with the loss of several well-known shops.

But it bounced back to become a relatively thriving shopping spot with outlets of small and national retailers.

Cllr Greg Burt said it was important for the town council to consider the limit its resources placed on its ability to achieve successes.

"We should concentrate on six items we can deliver," he suggested. "I would rather we pick six issues, with the help of others, which we can do well rather than 100 which we do half-cocked."

Cllr Paul Wells said he doubted if anyone would expect Arun to be able to deliver any improvements for Bognor.

"I don't think there's a lot of confidence among people for the district council to carry out what this town needs," he claimed.

"There has been a large amount of people who have spoken to me, and the letter writers in the Observer, who think the council is incapable of that.

"We should be working together to drive this town forward. Everytime we want something, Arun pulls us back. That has to stop.

"We have to see what we can do to overcome this recession. It's not going to be an easy ride. I don't think anyone expects it to be."

Cllr Eileen Anderson said town centre property rents were too high to encourage new businesses to take on empty outlets.

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