Wait over as Stage by the Sea is launched

Musicians, dancers and a poet will help to launch the performing arts space, between Banjo Road and The Promenade, on Sunday, May 11.

The opening ceremony, conducted by town mayor Joyce Bowyer, will take place more than two years after Littlehampton Town Council announced a competition inviting designs to be submitted for the scheme.

The distinctive curved structure, with a larger canopy facing away from the sea and a smaller one on The Promenade, linked by a sweeping landscaped arc, was due to open last summer, as a project for the Queen’s diamond jubilee, but it was hit by a series of delays caused by poor weather and then the liquidation of the main contractor Cavendish Consultancy.

Councillor Bowyer said: “I feel passionate about this project and although we have had to manage a number of difficulties, I am looking forward to the local community sharing this celebration with us.”

The launch event starts at 2pm and will feature an hour of entertainment with folk musician Mal Simms, the Edwin James Festival Choir, poet Pamela Johnson, the band of Littlehampton’s Nautical Training Corps TS Implacable and urban dance act JD.

It is hoped the main stage, with space for 15-25 seated musicians, will be used for a range of performances.