Worthing multi-storey car parks: Buckingham Road site finally open again after three-year closure; significant interest in Grafton transformation

The Buckingham Road multi-storey was shut in 2021 for structural works, which were initially expected to be completed by the summer of 2022.

Now, more than two years on, it has finally been reopened – and is ‘easier and safer to use’.

A Worthing Borough Council spokesperson said: “It needed major structural repairs because of its age, so while this work was underway we used the opportunity to improve its other features for those who drive into the town centre.

“We know it’s been closed for quite a lot longer than we had hoped it would be, but we’re grateful for everyone’s patience while the work was being done.

“We’ve installed CCTV cameras so that visitors can feel safer, and there are now more (and larger) disabled bays as well as larger parent-and-child and dementia-friendly bays.”

The councils said the car park has been resurfaced and ‘completely redecorated’ so it is ‘cleaner and brighter than before’.

Instead of paying when they leave, drivers will need to pay for their stay when they arrive, as they do in the council’s surface car parks.

The spokesperson said: “Drivers will be able to pay in cash, by card or by using the MiPermit app. If they pay using the app, they can extend the length of time they want to stay for without returning to their vehicle.

“We’ll have more members of our parking team out and about in the car park to speak to customers who need help.”

With the Buckingham Road car park open, maintenance work is now underway at the Grafton and High Street multi-storey car parks, with the council saying some bays would be out of use while work was carried out.

The council has also issued a comprehensive update on the Grafton site.

In November 2023, the council’s cabinet agreed to market the site of the Grafton multi-storey, with the hope that the car park ‘could be demolished and transformed’ – with the refurbishment of the Buckingham Road car park meaning there would be enough spaces to allow for the permanent closure of the Grafton one.

In a social media update on Thursday, October 17, the council said: “We’ve told you previously how we’re looking for a developer who would be interested in working with us to transform the site - someone that shares our vision of high-quality, highly-sustainable homes, attractive green areas and leisure attractions that will bring benefits for all of our residents.

“We’ve received a large number of responses from both national and locally-based companies, who’ve registered their interest in being involved and spelled out in broad terms what they think could be achieved on the land.

“Some of those ideas have been very interesting, so we’re taking our time to go through them all carefully and evaluating thoroughly which of them have the most potential. This is a key step towards the redevelopment of the site so we’re not going to rush it.

“We’ll continue to provide updates on the project as they happen. As a council for the community, we’ll listen to the views of our residents and businesses before we make any final decisions.”

The Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC) and Buckingham Road car parks in Worthing town centre had been subject to numerous delays.

The WICC was originally expected to be completed in the summer of 2023, after work started in February 2022, with costs increasing from £34million initially to £42.4million.

The Buckingham Road car park had been closed for works since 2021, which were initially planned to be completed by the summer of 2022.

Worthing Borough Council said a new town centre car park and the completed refurbishment of the Buckingham Road multi-storey will ‘mean there are enough spaces’ to allow Worthing's Grafton car park to be closed.

For more information about the site and a Q&A, visit https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/grafton-car-park-worthing/.