More details of Regis Centre deal made public

The council has agreed a land swap deal with the company in order to unlock the Regis Centre site for improvement works.

Arun received more than £12 million in Levelling Up funding to improve the venue.

But work cannot start before an agreement is reached with Whitbread, which leases the building from ADC.

Arun District Council’s Policy and Finance Committee agreed to a deal with the company during a private meeting last Tuesday (September 6).

Minutes of the meeting have since been released and they contain details of the deal.

In order to get Whitbread to surrender its lease on the Regis Centre, the council is set to sell the company a 125-year lease for land at the south-east corner of the site – including the former fire station.

The council would then consider plans from Whitbread to build a 102-bed Premier Inn and the company will also be given a new short lease for the Brewers Fayre Pub and Restaurant.

Arun Arts would have its own separate lease for the Alexandra Theatre.

Buying back the lease for the Regis Centre will set the council back by £750,000.

Four Conservative members and one Arun Independent voted in favour of the deal but three Lib Dems abstained and one independent councillor voted against it.

Those who abstained from voting said they ‘felt pressurised into making decisions’ without ‘more enhanced facts and information’, according to the minutes.

Others felt this would be a ‘poor deal for Bognor Regis’ and Matt Stanley (LDem, Marine) wanted reassurances that the council could hold further discussions with Whitbread over the style of the proposed hotel.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Service, council leader Shaun Gunner said that the deal would be ‘great for Bognor’.

“Regardless of what happens with [Whitbread’s] planning permission, we can start work on the property immediately,” he explained.

“And once they get their planning permission, they surrender their lease immediately.

“Even if it takes them 20 years to build the hotel, we’ve got our property back.”

Mr Gunner acknowledged that the 125-year lease was lengthy but said the alternative was to ‘lose £25 to £30 million pounds of investment’.

“Yes I can understand why people think this could be a bad deal for the council,” said Mr Gunner, “But how is it possibly a bad deal for Bognor Regis?”

“[Opposition councillors] are trying to find a stick to beat the Conservatives with and all they’re actually doing is they’re beating Bognor Regis.”

Mr Gunner said that the ‘only alternative’ was handing the funding back to central government which he believes could put the council’s current Levelling Up bid – and any future bids – in jeopardy.

Funding for the Whitbread deal, as well as an extra £3 million for the project, is set to go to full council for approval at a later date.

The council’s chief executive, James Hassett, and chief financial officer are expected to continue ‘detailed negotiations’ with Whitbread.