Cultural blueprint

LAST week Arun District Council’s cabinet agreed the next steps for progressing a £25m leisure and culture blueprint for the district.

This blueprint sets out a range of exciting ideas and opportunities put forward by consultants the council commissioned last year.

It’s where the stories about the possible relocation of Littlehampton Swimming and Sports Centre, the potential sale of Swansea Gardens in Bognor Regis and recommended improvements to the street scene in Arundel have come from. You might have heard or read about them but not know where or why they have come about now.

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Arun used Colliers International, consultants who are experts in their field, to explore the leisure and culture facilities that we currently have in this district and improvements that we could make going forward.

When we commissioned the work we asked them to be bold, to excite and inspire us and to identify opportunities that will bring benefits not just for the next five, 10 or even 15 years but for many decades to come.

The leisure strategy is the result of this work but nothing has been decided and nothing is set in stone.

The report outlines an extensive package of alternatives – some we like, some that we will not be so eager to pursue. We now want to know more about these ideas, so we have asked the consultants to go back and give us more details.

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You will all get the chance to comment on these proposals as we go forward. We share this district and we hope that we share the common desire not just to make it better but to make it the best we possibly can.

We want to attract visitors, to improve the economy, to make our towns talking points along the south coast and we believe the opportunities presented in this leisure strategy, along with regeneration plans for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton, give us an opportunity to do this.

Both myself as leader of the council and Norman Dingemans, cabinet member for economic and cultural development, assure you that there will be full and open public consultation. We cannot deliver a scheme that you do not want and there is no point in commissioning facilities that you will not use.

There is a long way to go before we make any decisions and we will take into account all people’s comments, whether you make them now based on the strategy as it is, or at the time we are able to go out to public consultation when we have a clearer idea of what we can and can’t do.

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Please don’t let your views be guided by what you hear or read second-hand. Read for yourself about these opportunities and then make up your mind.

We’ve created a page on our website where you can read the strategy in full at www.arun.gov.uk/leisurestrategy

Councillor Gillian Brown, leader, councillor Norman Dingemans, cabinet member for economic and cultural development, Arun District Council

Civic Centre

Maltravers Road

Littlehampton