Lifts at Bognor Regis car park still out of action

The Fitzleet lifts were closed due to a fault with the alarm system and will not reopen until a new phone line is installed.

Council contractors are ‘doing everything they can’ and worked on the lifts in November.

But no further progress can be made until Openreach installs the new line.

It was hoped that the multi-storey would absorb extra demand while the ice rink takes up half of the Regis Centre car park.

But the broken lifts have been affecting residents and businesses in the run-up to the busy Christmas period.

Paul Wells, from Unique Knit and Sew in London Road, had hoped that the lifts would be fixed in November.

“Customers are mentioning it and obviously people struggled up and down the stairs with buggies and bits and pieces over the course of the last few months,” he said.

“The sooner we can see the council get a result the better really.”

Mr Wells said that the two hours of free parking is an ‘absolute treasure’ to the town and its businesses.

“We need to make sure that everything in the town centre is working and is easily available for people or they will go online or venture out of town,” he said.

“Yes there are other facilities, other car parks, but as we run up to Christmas, it will get busier and parking becomes a premium.”

Several residents shared their frustration on social media with some saying they are not visiting local stores due to the lift situation.

Councillors voiced their impatience that the lifts were still not fixed.

Amanda Worne (LDem, Yapton) said she had found it ‘impossible to find a space’ during a visit to the town centre.

David Edwards (Con, Felpham East) said he had chased Openreach twice for an update.

He said the council will ask Morrisons, at Bedford Road, if it can provide ground floor parking for disabled people while the lifts are out of action.

“We are trying to get BT to do the work as soon as possible,” Mr Edwards said.

“Christmas is always a busy time for our towns and clearly parking is required.

“Please be assured I will be chasing this up until it is resolved.”

An Openreach spokesperson said: “We’re working with our partners to lay 15 metres of new duct which will allow us to pull in new cable and repair the lifts.

“We require traffic management for the work to be done safely and we’re doing our best to secure this now. “

The spokesperson added that Openreach will aim to have the work done ‘as quickly as possible’.

A spokesman for Arun has also been approached for comment.