VOTE: More parking provision is what the town needs, not less

Early backing for a threatened Bognor Regis car park has been given by senior councillors.

The proposed closure of the Lyon Street site was mooted in a draft parking strategy for the town carried out for Arun District Council.

A 151-name petition opposing the idea was debated by members of the council's Bognor Regis regeneration sub-committee on Monday.

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The strategy has yet to be formally discussed by councillors but Arun's leader, Gillian Brown, said she was firmly opposed to any loss of

parking spaces.

"The viability of any town is governed by its car parking provision," she said. "The less car parks we have, the less visitors we have.

"My feeling is we should not be causing any of the provision to be lost in and around the town.

"I would want to see more, not less, parking '“ especially with the Laburnum Centre across the road from the Lyon Street car park.

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"But, even ignoring that, we should be nurturing the car parks we have and showing how we can increase them."

Simon McDougall, the leader of the council's Lib Dems, said he agreed with Mrs Brown's comments.

The Observer revealed six months ago the Lyon Street site with its 74 spaces could be at risk. This resulted in the petition being organised by members of the Laburnum Centre.

Calvin Baylis, Arun's outdoor services manager, said: "The strategy looks at the car parking situation in Bognor as a whole.

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"We can't discuss the strategy now because we have not got it yet, but you have obviously made your feelings well known and I will bear them in mind."

The strategy will not be formally published by the council until the result of Sainsbury's bid to open a store on the Lec site is known by mid-October.

This will affect Morrisons' decision to redevelop its site with the Fitzleet town centre multi-storey car park above.

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