Worthing’s Teville Gate site to close to the public

Worthing’s Teville Gate will soon be closed to all as work to demolish the multi-storey car park gathers pace.

To ensure public safety, contractors from Worthing Borough Council have been erecting hoardings around the high-profile town centre plot in recent weeks.

From Monday (January 15) the site off Teville Road will be shut to pedestrians which will allow detailed surveying work to take place ahead of the planned demolition in March.

The closure includes the walkway through the centre of the Teville site and the underpass, which links the station and car park to the Morrisons superstore.

Notices informing members of the public of the closure are being placed around the site with alternative routes clearly signposted.

The local authority believes the demolition of the car park will act as a catalyst for the private company which owns the site to carry out a wider regeneration of the area.

Councillor Kevin Jenkins, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said: “While we acknowledge that there will be some disruption for local residents, we hope they understand that this is all about bringing real change to an area which has been derelict for far too long.

“The council regularly receives complaints about antisocial behaviour in the area. By demolishing the site we want to inject some much-needed impetus into the redevelopment of this eyesore site.

“Meanwhile we will continue to keep working with Mosaique, who own the site, to bring forward the long overdue renaissance of this area of Worthing.”

The Council has a long-term lease on the car park, which means it is the only part of the site it controls. This has enabled it to move for demolition using funding secured through the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.

To help keep everyone informed about the demolition, two large banners have been placed on the side of the car park informing people passing that the project is undertaken by Worthing Borough Council supported by Coast to Capital, ECE Architecture and RLF consultants.

The closure of the whole site has been supported by West Sussex County Council, which is responsible for highways, and in consultation with Morrisons.

Mosaique continues to draw up plans to build houses and lifestyle space on the site which it now calls Station Square.