'The public are entitled to know' - Lib Dems demand answers over planned sale of former West Sussex village police station

The site of the former Lancing police station – which has a ‘huge amount of potential for redevelopment' – has been put up for sale.

Adur District Council said the decision for the site, which backs onto Monks Recreation Ground, was made to ‘help the community benefit from the building again’.

"The council bought the building in North Road in 2021 after it had sat empty for a number of years,” a council spokesperson explained.

The Liberal Democrats are unconvinced the reasonings – and feel the public should have been given a chance to have a say.

John Robinson, Lib Dems' spokesperson and former Adur council leader, said: "They are abdicating their social responsibility. The explanation of selling the Lancing site for regeneration does not stand up to examination.

"Selling the site to the private sector will lead to flats being built which do not meet the chronic need for social housing. There are nearly 1,000 applicants on Adur's housing waiting list.

"On such an important site in the village centre the public are entitled to know what what was considered by their representatives and how they have arrived at a key decision with no public access to the process."

Adur District Council, in response to this statement, said it put the former police station building up for sale to ‘bring the village’s prominent site back into use’.

“With the building sitting vacant, we’re currently losing valuable taxpayers’ money on interest costs and keeping the empty site secure,” a statement read.

“We considered all possible options for the site before putting it up for sale, including building council homes on the land, but these weren’t financially viable and could’ve seen the site left in its current vacant state for a number of years.

“The location of the former police station has huge potential for redevelopment and we’re looking for someone who wants to invest in making North Road in Lancing a better place for everyone who works and lives in the area.

“The funds generated from its sale will be invested in other community projects and programmes across the district for the benefit of our residents.”

The council had bought the site in 2021 and consulted widely on uses with community benefit. In the meantime the historic building is being used as a community space for local organisations and local businesses.

"One of the options was for the council to develop it for social housing, the preference put forward by the Liberal Democrats in 2018 when the site was declared surplus by Sussex Police,” a Lib Dems spokesperson said.

"The Lib Dems are calling on Adur Council to publish the reports on which the sale decision was taken. They also want the decision held up for public scrutiny on what they say is probably the last known site west of the river Adur suitable for true social housing.

“Adur's Labour council, which promised so much on consultation, has now washed its hands of finding a public benefit use.”

Mr Robinson highlighted that the 200 responses to the initial consultation ‘show the importance attached’ to the site by the local community.

The Lib Dems said it will support any local groups trying to save the site for community use.