Still time to have your say on multi-million pound Shoreham office development

There’s still time for residents and businesses in Shoreham to comment on plans for a new multi-million pound office development.

Adur District Council is looking to bring forward the proposal to redevelop the former Adur Civic Centre car park in Ham Road.

Before a planning application is drawn up, the local authority and its partners want to hear what locals think of the early proposals for the site.

A public consultation is currently ongoing, with residents and businesses having until July 10 to have their say on the development.

James Appleton, Adur & Worthing Councils' Head of Planning and Development, said: "We are committed to providing a high-quality development which will provide much-needed office space for the Adur district and regenerate this area of Shoreham. But we want to make sure it is done in the right way, so consultation events like this are vital.

"Early feedback demonstrates there is general support for the redevelopment of the site for offices. There have been many comments, which we will take on board before a planning application is submitted.

"I urge people to let us know what they think of the plans and look forward to seeing in detail the views of local residents and businesses."

So far dozens of people have had their say on the scheme.

More than 30 people attended a public consultation event at the Shoreham Centre on Monday, June 26 to hear more details about the plans. Representatives of the Council, contractor, architect, town planner and highways consultants were on hand to discuss the proposals and answer any questions.

A number of residents who attended a meeting of the Council's Planning Committee in the evening also had the opportunity to view the proposals.

Exhibition boards detailing the plans are on show in the Shoreham Centre until Friday, July 7.

Comments received by the team will be considered as part of the ongoing work leading to the submission of a planning application.

To view the exhibition boards online, please visit: https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/ham-road-car-park-site/

To complete the online questionnaire, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HamRoadCarPark

If you wish to submit supplemental comments or to register your interest in being kept updated on the progress of the project, please email: consultation@stridetreglown.com

The deadline for comments is Monday, July 10 at 5pm.

Summer of Circus 2017 - Premiere of RISE 

Last Friday, the 2017 Summer of Circus officially launched.
The sold out evening was spectacular, with standing ovations at the end of the KIN performance.

For all of you who joined us thank you, and if you missed it, then we have something extra special coming up next month.

We have the stunning world premiere of RISE at the Pavilion Theatre onTuesday 18 July at 7.30pm. 

The show combines tightwire, live music and rich romantic imagery and is going to be brilliant.

We will have an exclusive post show Q&A in the Pavilion Cafe Bar too, and tickets for the evening are just £10 when you quote CIRCUSCARD online, on the phone or in person.

Come along and join us and if you can make it please let me know and I can reserve you some of the best seats in the house before they go - stephen.sheldrake@adur-worthing.gov.uk

Full details here: https://worthingtheatres.co.uk/rise/

Adur in top three in UK for fastest broadband speeds

Adur has been ranked the third fastest local authority area in the UK for broadband speeds.

The results of the research, conducted by consumer group Which?, were welcomed by Councillor Angus Dunn, Adur District Council's Executive Member for Resources.

He said: "This is fantastic news for everyone in Adur. Broadband has become an integral part of everyone's lives so this is just one more reason why our district is a great place for people to live and work in.

"As a local authority, we have already recognised the vital importance of fast broadband, which is why we are pushing on with our very ambitious gigabit broadband programme.

“This project aims to deliver speeds of 1GB to households and workplaces across the district so that everyone can benefit from a service 100 times faster than the UK average."

The local authority areas with the fastest broadband speeds were Tamworth in the West Midlands followed by Reading. The slowest speeds were found in the Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands and Highland.

StreetVelodrome to wheel in to Worthing in a week's time 

The world's most accessible cycling sports event - StreetVelodrome - will roll into Worthing in a week's time.

Locally enjoyed and nationally televised, the cycling event remains one of the most thrilling sporting weekends in the town’s calendar.  

Taking place on the weekend of July 1 and 2, hundreds of people are expected to flock to Beach House Grounds for some sensational sporting action and family fun.

Overseen by Worthing Borough Council, it forms part of Discover Worthing, a major marketing campaign launched this summer which is aimed at increasing the numbers of visitors to the wider area.

Councillor Kevin Jenkins, Worthing Borough Council’s executive member for regeneration, said:

“I’m delighted to welcome StreetVelodrome back for another year.

“The previous two year’s sun-drenched weekends of cycle racing have set a high bar for the 2017 competition. But I anticipate that this year the event will be bigger and better than ever before.

“With the addition of a host of other sporting events across the weekend, I urge people of all ages to come down and try things out for themselves so they can Discover a new side of Worthing.”

The format of 2017’s StreetVelodrome competition mirrors the successful set-up from 2016.

In just a few hours, the normally tranquil seafront park is transformed into a professional racing circuit giving people the perfect opportunity to clip on a helmet and test themselves against amateur and pro-riders alike.

The South Coast Rollers, Worthing’s home team, will be taking to the track again, searching for the best new talent to accompany them to the London finals.  

This year, the Worthing StreetVelodrome weekend is also welcoming Worthing FC, Worthing RFC, Worthing Thunder, VC Jubilee and Southdown Leisure - all of whom will be offering visitors the chance to learn new skills, get active and revel in the sporting talent that the town has to offer.

Those with tots can get involved too - as Toddle Bikes will be there to help youngsters get their first taste of riding a bike.

Bike marking is also available on Saturday.

All equipment and coaching will be provided, so all you need to do is turn up and take part.

In addition to the Borough Council’s investment, the StreetVelodrome competition benefits from the faith of its sponsors.  

This year, Worthing StreetVelodrome is being brought to the town in association with:

·  Chandlers of Worthing

·  Lancing College Preparatory School at Worthing

·  Southern Railway

·  Worthing Homes

·  Basepoint

For more information, head to www.WorthingStreetVelodrome.co.uk.

Fantastic Summer Room Hire Offers At The Worthing Dome

Charity Trustees to get a helping hand

Voluntary Action Worthing (VAW) is launching a new Trustee Club in Worthing on Thursday 20^th July.

VAW has been providing support, information and advice to the voluntary sector since 1993.   It is launching the new club specifically for trustees of charities operating in the Worthing area. Charity specialists MHA Carpenter Box were proud to be invited to be the delivery partner and to support the launch where guest speakers will share their national and local insights relating to good governance. For information on the impressive line-up of speakers go to: http://vaworthing.org.uk/trustee-club/ 

Following the launch, the VAW Trustee Club will start in September and will be a free-to-access, membership club where trustees of charities operating in the Worthing area can meet, gain peer support from each other and attend masterclasses from experts in good governance.

Chris Coopey, Partner and Practice Director at MHA Carpenter Box and President of the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce, will be one of the impressive line-up of voluntary sector leaders who will be speaking at the launch event. Governance experts from MHA Carpenter Box will then be delivering four of the networking session masterclasses following the event, with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ lead, Dan Francis, speaking at an event during Trustees' Week in November. The sector experts will guide Trustee Club members through what they and their Boards should know to ensure that their charity is legally compliant, robust and sustainable in the long term.

Chris commented: “There have been so many changes in recent years to the rules and regulations that govern how charities operate which makes life challenging for Trustees, so I’m sure there will be a lot of interest in the VAW Trustee Club. It will provide a unique opportunity for members to network with other trustees and with so much knowledge on offer, should prove to be a good investment of their time.”

The launch event is by invitation only and will be held between 5pm and 7pm on Thursday 20 July at St Paul’s Centre in central Worthing, however, if you would like to receive an invitation, please contact partnerships@vaworthing.org.uk 

PUBLIC URGED TO SUPPORT ‘THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN’ AS HIGHDOWN GARDENS MARKS 50 YEARS IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP 

The public is today being urged to show support for Highdown Gardens as a “jewel in the crown” of Worthing’s cultural offer.

Worthing Borough Council is embarking on a major bid to secure the future of the world-famous gardens by applying for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of more than £900,000.

And today the council’s executive member for the environment Diane Guest urged the public to get behind the bid.

She said: “Highdown is a very special place and we want to invest in it to safeguard the future. The more people we can get on board to support this bid the better our chances.”

She made the call as the nationally important gardens, nestling high above the town, prepares for two special 50th anniversary landmarks.

The gardens, on Highdown Hill are owned and run by the council which keeps them free for visitors and has launched Highdown50 to publicise the importance of the place in local and national history.

The gardens are also of worldwide scientific importance and have been designated a National Plant Collection.

July 10 this year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Sir Frederick Stern the creator of the gardens, who lived in next door at Highdown Towers now a hotel and restaurant.

And in February the following year in the 50th anniversary of the gardens being handed to the people of the town by Sir Frederick’s widow Lady Sybil. The Borough Council has cared for the gardens ever since.

Today the council’s executive member for the environment Cllr Diane Guest praised the attraction and lauded its place in the life of the borough.

She said:

“I am always inspired whenever I go up there”

”There’s such a variety of fantastic plants, trees and other species from all around the world, all with a great story to tell and all of national importance.

“I am extremely proud of our role in keeping these gardens in their splendid state and of course on this anniversary we acknowledge the vision and the passion of Sir Frederick and Lady Sybil in defying the odds to make this garden the jewel it is.”

The gardens are a spectacular highlight of counter intuitive horticulture. Sir Frederick’s legacy was to prove that a whole range of plant species could still thrive in chalk downs. Just six inches of loam sits above the chalk face of Highdown Hill but many unique species now thrive there.

A special tree planting and plaque unveiling will take place on July 10 to mark the anniversary of Sir Frederick’s death.

Interim head gardener Gary Prescod said:

“It’s a great job working up here. The gardens give so much pleasure to so many different people, old and young alike. I always get people coming up to me asking questions about the important species we have here.”

The Heritage Lottery Bid if successful will help enhance the visitor experience at the gardens and help safeguard the nationally important collection of species.

Plans might include making the gardens more accessible for the disabled, improving the plant propagation facilities and converting the on-site gardeners’ bungalow into a visitor centre. A public consultation might bring forward other ideas.

A HLF bid last year was narrowly unsuccessful but the fund has encouraged the council to bid again on the strength of the project. This project will build on recent provision of interpretation trails and leaflets at Highdown Gardens, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and installed earlier this year.  

Members of the public are being asked to answer a special questionnaire on the Highdown website which will be used in framing the bid. Deadline for views is August.

Public urged to have their say on multi-million pound Shoreham development

Plans to create a new multi-million pound office block on a Shoreham car park are taking another step forward - with the public being urged to have their say.

The site in Ham Road was formerly used by council staff who worked at the now demolished Adur Civic Centre opposite.

A design team is now preparing detailed proposals for the 0.3-hectare site, which will be used to provide workspace for  local businesses.

Before a planning application for the redevelopment is submitted, members of the public are being encouraged to have their say on the scheme.

A drop-in consultation event will take place on June 26 from 3pm to 8pm in the Shoreham Centre in Pond Road.

An online consultation will then open on the council’s website and run for two weeks.

Comments received will then be used to guide the design team before they submit a detailed planning application.

Councillor Brian Boggis, Adur District Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said:

“I am delighted that the Council is progressing the redevelopment of this site to deliver new offices to support the expansion of local businesses.  

“This public consultation exercise will give local residents and businesses an opportunity to comment on the proposals prior to any formal consultation when the planning application is formally submitted later in the year.”

Staff vacated the civic centre in 2013. Since then, Adur District Council has considered a number of options for the site.

Now, the council is driving forward development of the site, with the first phase of regeneration seeing the creation of an office block on the car park.

It is anticipated a planning application will be submitted this summer with work potentially starting on site in the new year.

New President of Worthing & Adur Chamber Appointed

Chris Coopey, Partner and Practice Director of MHA Carpenter Box, has been appointed as the new President of the Worthing & Adur Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Peter Bennett who has led the Chamber as President for the last 14 Years.

Chris has had enjoyed a variety of careers, initially in design engineering, before moving on as a telecommunications engineer and during this time, he also served with a Royal Signals territorial unit for a number of years. In 1994 he qualified as a solicitor and later became Partner and Practice Director at Wynne Baxter Solicitors in Brighton. Chris embarked on his current role in 2005 at the Worthing-based firm of chartered accountants, tax and business advisers.

Chris firmly believes that Worthing & Adur is an amazing place to undertake business and commerce. The area has an astonishing number of world leading companies who are often at the forefront of innovation and generate countless other opportunities which have seen the blossoming of a local supply chain providing opportunities for many. Perhaps a little more controversially, he believes that the area succeeds as a business destination despite the lack of government investment in infrastructure and that given its fair share it could do even better.

Chris commented: “I’m honoured to have been elected as the new President and relish the job of representing the interests of Chamber members in the name of better business. My ambition for the Chamber is for it to really influence and drive the decisions that are central to the wellbeing of our local economy. I’ll try to do that in a collaborative style, taking into account the views of the Executive and by engagement with members and external bodies, both local and national.”

Tina Tilley, Chief Executive Officer of the Worthing & Adur Chamber, added: “We are sure Chris will help the Chamber and its members to meet the challenges and take advantages of the opportunities that lie ahead. We have a wealth of volunteers in the Chamber Executive and membership ready to support him, and I am looking forward to us working together to make sure the voice of business is heard loud and clear on the many issues on which we should be engaging.”