Stop knocking plans for town

The Arun District Council member in charge of regeneration accused the community group of always looking back.

Cllr Norman Dingemans said the society should be positive about Bognor's future rather than knocking schemes which were intended to boost its economy.

His comments came after he was challenged by civic society deputy leader Hugh Coster about his remarks at a meeting of the group a couple of years ago.

Cllr Dingemans retorted: 'This saddens me greatly I have discussed this at great length with Mr Coster who has accused me of lying in public.'

He explained his disputed comments at the meeting were based on the six expressions of interest, rather than six options, which had then been made in Bognor's regeneration by prospective developers.

They would be put to residents with a do-nothing option. But the six companies at the start of the regeneration process dwindled to three formal submissions by the time of the first exhibition.

All those schemes '“ plus doing nothing '“ were put on show in May 2006.

The vast majority of visitors chose St Modwen while a zero option was the least popular of the four choices.

'I find it sad that Mr Coster chooses to look back,' said Cllr Dingemans. 'Most of Bognor is looking forward.

'I ask him and the civic society to move forward with the rest of us and get on with the regeneration of Bognor.'

He added that the society should work with Arun instead of trying to undermine the efforts to revive the town.

His criticism arose after Mr Coster told a meeting of Arun councillors last weekthat Cllr Dingemans had failed to honour his pledge to Bognor's residents to offer them six options of redevelopment for the Hothamton and Regis Centre sites from which residents would be able to make a choice. He had also promised a zero option for people unhappy with any of the regeneration proposals to vote for the current uses to continue.

'It was quite clear that this was a pledge to Bognor people on behalf of Arun of whom he was, of course, a representative. There is no doubt that he said it, nor any doubt what he meant by it,' he said.

'So far, all we have had is two vague concepts '“ not even proper schemes, the latest of which has been heavily criticised and largely rejected by all the major representative groups of the town...'

This made it important for Cllr Dingemans to now honour his pledge, he stated. If he failed to do so, he could be accused of an illegal deed in public office, claimed Mr Coster. The level of interest in the regeneration was shown by the 2,200 visitors to a three-day exhibition by St Modwen in January. More than 600 responses were received by the company. These are being analysed.