Littlehampton regeneration meeting cancelled as it had ‘nothing to discuss’

A town councillor has hit out at Arun District Council for cancelling a meeting about the regeneration of Littlehampton.
Littlehampton town councilLittlehampton town council
Littlehampton town council

Derrick Chester, who represents the Cornfield ward, was less than impressed when told the regeneration sub-committee had ‘nothing to discuss’ this month so would not meet again until June.

Mr Chester raised the issue during public question time at an Arun District Council meeting on Wednesday night (February 20).

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He said: “Many people find it incredulous that the only committee that deals with the Littlehampton town centre regeneration had no business to discuss and will not meet for six months, when we’ve got shop after shop closing and people scared to come to the town because of persistent high levels of anti-social behaviour.”

Leader Gillian Brown (Con, Aldwick East) told Mr Chester that other committees also dealt with Littlehampton.

She added: “The chairman of the Littlehampton regeneration sub-committee decided to cancel the February meeting because there were no reports to discuss.

“An updated position statement is being sent to all members of the sub-committee.”

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The position statement included news that officers had submitted a stage 2 funding bid to the Coastal Communities Fund, asking for £2.5m to spend on improvements to the town centre.

A previous bid for £4.85m was turned down in 2017.

The money would have been used to install new paving and landscaping, along with lighting and seating.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Chester said: “Updates on the Look and Sea Centre, the future of the ex-Waitrose and St Martin’s car park sites, and on any progress on bids submitted to the coastal communities fund could have been usefully discussed.

“It is to be hoped the situation will be treated with more urgency after the May local elections and they might look to establish a cross-council regeneration board, as I suggested recently.”

The subcommittee meets three times a year and the next meeting will be on June 13.