Lancing pocket park plans to be reconsidered
Plans for a pocket park in Lancing are being reconsidered after about 73 per cent of people responding to a public consultation said they did not like the proposed design.
The consultation for the planned site in North Farm Road received 288 responses with 210 opposing the design.
The issue was raised at Adur District Council’s full council meeting on Thursday, October 22, by councillor Carol Albury.
She asked the cabinet member for economy and regeneration, councillor Becky Allinson, for an update on the outcome of the consultation and if the results would be made public.
In response, Cllr Allinson said: “Just to give you some figures on that, the consultation recorded 288 responses, with 210respondents, approximately 73 percent saying they did not like the proposed design.
“And those concerns went beyond its appearance, including the proposed road closure, traffic displacement, access for deliveries, future maintenance and antisocial behaviour.So we remain strongly supportive of investment in Lancing village centre.
“However, we have to take that consultation seriously and the feedback suggests that this issue is not simply about whether people like benches, planting or lighting. These are fundamental concerns about the closure of North Farm Road and its consequences for the surrounding area. Therefore, we will not be progressing with the full scheme.
“However, we are exploring whether we can retain the investment and the regeneration objectives, but deliver them differently.”
The council is discussing possible alternatives with West Sussex County Council, including measures to improve pedestrian safety, the attractiveness of the village centre and other issues that came up in the consultation.
Cllr Allinson said opposition to the proposed design should not be interpreted as opposition to regeneration in Lancing.
She said: “ I would like to say that within that consultation, you can see that although people were against the scheme, they were not against regeneration within Lancing. I also think we need to be clearer about the economic benefits that we expect and how we maintain whatever we build.”
Councillors were informed that the consultation results would be published online in the coming weeks and residents would be able to read the report on the council’s website.