Overwhelming no to more seafront flats

The majority who agreed the current regeneration scheme has too many flats was the biggest among the four questions posed in the town's poll last Wednesday.

It backs the views of people expressed many times over the past decade.

An almost equally large number was against closing The Esplanade as the current plans by developer St Modwen envisage. A smaller majority was against St Modwen's proposal for a live entertainment/cinema/exhibition centre to replace the Regis Centre. A similar number of people wanted the centre to be improved along with the existing Picturedrome cinema.

Roger Nash, one of the residents behind the poll, said: 'This has been the biggest vote that people have had on the regeneration and it has shown that the overwhelming majority of them are against what it is being currently proposed.'

The referendum was agreed by Bognor's electors at a meeting in late April and cost the town council about 12,000. It concerned four aspects of the 100m-plus redevelopment proposals put forward so far by developer St Modwen Properties with landowner Arun District Council.

For the Regis Centre site, St Modwen wants to create a new combined live entertainment and cinema venue with flexible space to host conferences and exhibitions. Joining it would be a ten-pin bowling alley, a range of bars and restaurants and, possibly, a library. The proposals involve closing The Esplanade from Waterloo Square to Clarence Road to improve links between the town centre and the seafront.

Topping them would be 168 flats to take the building up to some eight storeys.

A restaurant would be built on the beach along with a remodelled foreshore to create a lido-style area.

The Hothamton site's focal point off Queensway would be a 30-storey block of 180 flats, 25,000sq ft of offices, a food store and a possible new health centre.

More detailed plans are expected in the coming weeks.

A planning application should be lodged by the end of the year. Work is set to be completed by 2013.

But Mr Nash said: 'The number of flats they are proposing and the closure of the seafront road are not acceptable to the people of Bognor.

'It's obvious we desperately need regeneration in Bognor, but the right sort of regeneration.

'This is the biggest consultation we've had on the regeneration proposals. The turnout of nearly 2,000 is really good.

Another poll supporter, Jan Cosgrove, added: 'The message from this poll is the same as that of 15 years ago and five years ago '“ no flats on the Regis Centre site. People do not accept that is the price which has to be paid for the regeneration of the town. There are 300 flats in all in St Modwen's plans and that is too many.'