Prior attempts at change have failed

There have been a number of speculative developers throughout the history of the town, starting of course with Sir Richard Hotham who developed this seaside resort between 1786 and 1799.

He provided the basics for future generations.

In the 1820s there was a building boom around the Steyne and Waterloo Square. This was followed by a number of small developments.

The town had to wait almost 50 years for the next large phase, when Arthur Smith developed the Victoria Park Estate, commencing in 1865.

His work involved areas such as Victoria Drive, Norfolk Square and the post office in Charlwood Street. By the 1880s, another major plan materialised to develop the seafront with the Bognor Hotel Company when they intended to build about 32 terraced houses. However only four were built and these were amalgamated into the Carlton Hotel on the Esplanade.

Over the next decades there were many proposed developments, which never came to fruition. The town of course also experienced two world wars and a depression. However by the start of the 1950s things began to change.

Over the Whitsun weekend in 1950, it was claimed that over 37,000 visitors came to the town for the bank holiday.

Newspapers reports about the weekend claimed that "it looked as if all the cars in England have come to Bognor today" an exaggeration, but apparently the town's garages were "busier than they had known for years".

The report continues with details about the number visitor and the entertainment provided over the weekend.

One piece of information I found quite interesting was that there were 499 coaches which had parked in the East Coach Park, the site of today's Butlins.

Many of the older generation have told me of the great numbers that regularly came into the town.

Within a few years, the chamber of commerce was extolling the great opportunities that were being planned for Bognor Regis. However, in the 1950s when the town had a population of 25,000, some saw this as an "awkward size, '“ making Bognor betwixt and between '“ traders too ambitious with their ideas for projects, old retired residents shy of adding to their rates". Nevertheless the chamber had plans to expand the promenade, cleaning up the seafront and provide an arts centre, which according to one member could be adorned by "a figure of the Goddess of Art and Sculpture bearing a torch, which could be lighted to guide the fishermen home on dark nights".

In the early 1950s, there were many discussions on the way forward and on whether developments should be for the town's people or just for visitors.

For more on Bognor's local history, click here

One of the people involved remarked that, 'up to the present so much of the town's income appears to have been spent on projects to please visitors and only a small proportion on the needs of residents who are the long-suffering backbone of the district'.

One of the major discussions centred on the class of clientele in the town, a concept that today would not form part of any town development was considered very important at that time. One report gave as a reason for loss of trade in York Road '“ the removal of the Arcade glass canopy over the pavement '“ as yet another reason apparently, according to the press, to view the town as having 'gone down'.

Taxi drivers commented that there used to be a better class of people visiting the town at the beginning of the century, when visitors came for three weeks or even a month.

The main problem for one taxi driver was that people now came by 'coach' to the town thus emphasising the lack of class.

Despite these negative thoughts, groups and organisations were still trying to develop the town for the benefit of all. One such development was the council's deck chair supervisor who developed windshields for visitors to sit behind and watch the sea. This failed to impress the visitors particularly as the windshields were too difficult to keep clean from salt water spray.

In 1960, there was a major plan for the town centre. Descriptions of the town stated 'the tide comes right up to the sea wall and the promenade becomes crowded and dangerous.

'In addition the town lacks a focal centre, possesses very few facilities to encourage visitors and has a growing traffic problem.'

This documentation then describes the plans alongside an interesting sketch of the view down London Road as, 'this scheme will comprise shopping centres, offices, flats, hotels, traffic free promenades, entertainments, set in the informal gaiety of arcades, sheltered squared gardens and is phased to integrate with existing buildings and to give a natural and a logical development to the town.

'It will result in the evolution of a holiday and residential centre, which is busy and thriving all year round and will make Bognor Regis the most exciting and attractive resort on the South Coast.'

None of these plans came to fruition.

Other developments have concentrated on the seafront area, including a 1967 plan complete with its motel, shopping mall, swimming pool and conference hall.

There have been other plans over the years. Some of which have been similar to the above in that they consist of major alterations to the town.

The most recent plans appear to be different in that they involve the residents, and are of a more practical nature. They utilise and enhance what we have today without the grandiose building plans.

Opinions vary. Some people when looking at the St Modwen plans, said '˜not here please' but we have to look forward while being aware of history.

There will be aspects of the plans which are not to everyone's taste, but we are lucky that there are still groups of people who have sufficient belief in the town to research the requirements of us the residents, and to try to enhance the area for all.

I am sure the plans of the past also attracted some negative response. It will be interesting to be a local historian in 50 years' time viewing our comments and the results of today's regeneration.