Following months of negotiation, Adur District Council and the community of Fishersgate are pleased to announce that a resolution has been reached with the trustees of Fishersgate Community Association regarding the future of the Fishersgate Community Centre.

Further work is needed around some of the legal and financial detail. The intention is that the lease of Fishersgate Community Centre will be held by the District Council temporarily, to enable the Council to work with the local community and partners to develop plans for a new future for the Centre, at the heart of Fishersgate.

Over the coming months, the District Council will support the Fishersgate community in reopening the centre on a limited basis for the benefit of the community, with a full relaunch under a new charitable community association anticipated early in 2017.

Neil Parkin, Leader of Adur District Council, comments:

“I am very pleased to see a positive outcome for Fishersgate following months of uncertainty. Council Members, Officers, lawyers and the community have worked tirelessly to reach this point, and I am sure that the Centre will once again become a hub for all in Fishersgate to enjoy.”

Within the next few months, the Council will facilitate a public meeting to set out the plans to get the Centre up and running again, and will be forming an interim management committee to oversee the process.

By the end of the summer, it is hoped that the cafe and playground will be open, and that the committee will be inviting local residents to become part of the wider organisation which will run the Centre in the future.

As the autumn draws on, the interim management committee will start shaping the plans for the future of the Centre, developing the policies and procedures and establishing the new legal entity needed to guarantee a safe, enjoyable and transparently well-run community hub in the heart of Fishersgate.

More information on the plans to reopen the Fishersgate Community Centre will be shared as soon as they are available. In the meantime, anyone interested in knowing more about the future of the Centre, or wishing to express an interest in being part of its return to use, should contact Lee Billingham through the Communities Team on 01273 263311 or by email: communities@adur-worthing.gov.uk.