I'm left out in the cold, too '“ and I fear a 1950s repeat

I, too, was excluded from the new board to be set up by Arun District Council to look into the regeneration of Bognor Regis.

Being the Independent (ex-Liberal Democrat) district and town councillor for Marine Ward, which include most of the land where the regeneration is to take place, I fully expected '“ rather naively, I suppose '“ to be a member.

As I said at the ADC meeting, I believe the selection of members was purely political and not based on councillors who knew Bognor and its history and were willing to put the town first before their political beliefs.

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It should not be a political decision and no party should have an overall majority on the board.

What I am fearful of is a repeat of the early 50s and late 60s.

In the early 1950s, the Pavilion, the largest sprung dance hall along the south coast, was slightly damaged in a fire, and the building and the fine surrounding gardens, complete with ponds, statues and fountains, were replaced by the Hothampton car park and Queensway.

The car park was built over the Princess Elizabeth boating pool and now, when it rains, there is almost as much water in the car park as there was in the boating pool.

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The next development to take place, in the late 60s, was the replacement of the 700-seat Theatre Royal (a beautiful theatre, comparable to the Theatre Royal in Brighton) and the Rex Ballroom, overlooking the sea, with a roller-skating rink and conference hall beneath.

Once again, the plans we were shown '“ new conference hall, theatre, bridge over the road to the promenade, etc '“ came to nothing and we ended up with Mountbatten Court and The Regis Centre.

Of course, there was also the Esplanade Theatre we all knew and loved '“ now a skateboard arena.

All I ask is that the artist's impressions of what St Modwen presented come to fruition and we are not fobbed off with some second-rate development inferior to what is there at the moment.

Cllr Ken Scutt, Nyewood Lane, Bognor Regis