Written by: Miriam Nicholls
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Whilst not completely unaffected, remarkably, and as a tribute to the extent, range and quality of the respective programme partners and their developments, significant progress has still been achieved in a number of particularly important areas.
• Butlins brand new £20million Ocean Hotel & Spa has been completed and opened offering 200 bedrooms and spa facilities of the highest quality. Even more investment is planned.
• The University of Chichester has successfully secured £8million from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (£6million) and SEEDA (£2million), for the first stages of the Bognor Regis campus improvements and other new opportunities. Additionally, they have secured funding to operate an innovative and supported programme placing graduates in our local companies.
• A brand new Bognor Regis Community College campus is almost complete with more than £45million being invested into a new Community College, new single primary school and new youth and community facilities.
• A planning application for the development of the contaminated, derelict former LEC site is currently being considered by the Secretary of State. The £50million proposal provides for the complete redevelopment of this gateway site, with a new Sainsbury’s food store, relocated and enhanced businesses and 20,000 sq ft of new business (B1) space.
The proposed development programme includes a range of other obligations which have also been negotiated (S106s) and these include:
• £0.5million for the town centre
• £125,000 for enterprise development
• £260,000 for improved transport links to and around the town centre
Significantly, and somewhat unusually, the negotiations have also secured obligations for the delivery of qualifications and training, and participation in the Developer & Partner Charter.
At the same time, Morrisons has submitted a planning application for a new £20million plus larger and realigned food store in the town centre. Whilst this in itself is great news, Morrisons has said it will not progress this investment if approval to develop the rival Sainsbury’s food store is given!
The quite magnificent Roffey Homes Esplanade Grande seafront development has been voted the Best Apartment Development in the UK and was one of only six short-listed for the World’s Best Apartment development award.
Initial work has started on the development of 1,350 new homes in Felpham and Bersted. Developers Persimmon, Berkeley Homes and Barratt have endured a difficult time like all others over the past year or so and are pleased to see ground being broken now.
Following the production of a new Strategy for the Bognor Regis seafront, funding has been secured from the SITA Trust, Butlins and the Arun Wellbeing partnership which will see the creation of the first ever Bognor Regis Seafront fitness trail ‘running’ all the way between Felpham and Aldwick. This will provide an attractive new and unusual feature which should be in place in late spring (2010). It is likely to be a popular and well used facility!!
Alongside all of this, we have been arranging programmes for local businesses to promote to them the opportunities that are available from the town’s extensive regeneration programme.
In recent weeks we have staged a retail workshop alongside the Business Partnership, the Bognor Regis Chamber of Commerce and Business Link.
The end of November saw a hugely successful event with over 120 local businesses meeting with Butlins, to see what opportunities there are for working together. Butlins are keen to use as much local business as possible and both they and local businesses who attended felt they had made some great contacts and potential contracts too.
The next of these events is in January 2010 when the University of Chichester will be hosting an event to show what opportunities they have created and are creating for local businesses too. Graduate placements, undergraduate placements, new work in and around the Bognor Regis campus, and new degree courses aimed at developing better business leaders and encouraging more creativity and ‘start ups’ are just a flavour at what you need to know about.
Remember, if you are not there then your competitors might well be!
The Bognor Regis Regeneration Task Force led by Richard McMann is coordinating this entire programme of investment and change and you can keep up to date with all of the events and information by logging on to: www.arun.gov.uk
The Task Force, developers, investors and local businesses are alive and kicking in Bognor Regis and by working together are creating an even brighter future for the town. Are you part of it yet????
For further information log on to: www.arun.gov.uk, phone 01903 737959 or email:
richard.mcmann@arun.gov.uk
