Here on the South Coast, between the sea and the South Downs National Park, we benefit from an outstanding natural environment. Despite steady growth in the local economy fuelled by the emergence of some dynamic new sectors; we realised several years ago that we needed a new approach to urban renewal founded on placemaking. Parts of our urban fabric were looking worn and we were suffering from too many sites with potential for renewal but which were stalled or were simply lying vacant. To help understand the reasons why, we began to gather data and talk to potential investors about their perception of our places.
We quickly realised there was untapped potential - but that action was required if it was to be realised. We needed to send a clear signal that we were open for business and keen to attract investment. Our first move was to recruit an Investment Officer to help us begin to compete for scarce public funds to improve our local infrastructure. This was followed by a partnership with West Sussex County Council to prepare a 'Town Centre Prospectus for Worthing' - to really sell the opportunity - together with the launch of 'Building Adur & Worthing' magazine, prepared by our Communications team and designed to change the narrative.
We moved at pace and, to be frank, our initial actions were unashamedly destructive. We secured Local Growth Fund (LGF) funding via the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership to demolish the brutal 'Teville Gate' multi-storey car park that had dominated the gateway to Worthing town centre for over 40 years. With further support from Coast to Capital, the next building to be raised to the ground was the former Adur Civic Centre site in Shoreham by Sea.
The impact was immediate and our subsequent attendance at events such as Sitematch meant that we began to generate significant interest. The Council team quickly became adept at delivering bespoke tours of our places for private and public sector investors alike. One such tour identified the prospect of a digital hub for HMRC at Teville Gate close to Worthing Station: construction of this 6,500 square metre building is underway with completion scheduled for December 2020.
Our next move was bolder: we made a series of land acquisitions of strategically important sites that would help us to unlock their development potential. Having done so, we quickly realised that for larger sites, we needed access to specialist skills and experience to deliver a programme of development. Coast to Capital introduced us to London & Continental Railways (LCR) a government owned company with an outstanding track record for delivering High Speed 1 and regeneration and placemaking on a major scale on former British Rail Property Board land at locations such as Kings Cross; Stratford City and Mayfield, Manchester.
A new partnership with LCR was born and in 2018 we formalised this through a land pooling agreement and the acquisition of a major site - Union Place, Worthing. Since then, we have been working together to co-produce a comprehensive scheme for development to include 200 new homes; a hotel and commercial and leisure opportunities. The project has been prepared in the wider context of our place, to enhance the connectivity and vitality of the town centre.
We have rigorously examined the potential of our own land and buildings. The former Adur Civic Centre car park is now the location for a new £9.5m, 2,500 square metre office development, successfully pre-let to Focus Group, a rapidly expanding local telecommunications company. This 'design and build' scheme was funded by Adur District Council and Focus Group are creating more than 200 new jobs.
In Worthing, we will be transforming the Town Hall car park to deliver of a major new integrated health hub for the town. This scheme is the product of a successful partnership with NHS providers and commissioners in the local area to create a new model of care. At over 6000 square metres, the new building will provide the capacity to meet the current and future needs of a growing population.
Land owned by the Borough Council at Fulbeck Avenue, Worthing, has been transferred to BokLok, a partnership between Skanska and IKEA. This site, which would otherwise have delivered around 40 new homes on a traditional footprint, will now be the first place in the UK where BokLok modular construction will be employed to provide 140 new units of affordable market accommodation; based on a financial model that responds to local levels of affordability. Homes can be ordered 'in store'.
We have taken an equally hard look at those public spaces have such a vital role to play in reinforcing a strong sense of place - the meeting spaces, venues, connectors; and destinations. Working in partnership with West Sussex County Council, we have identified 17 important public spaces that are integral to the repair and renewal of the local urban fabric. Following extensive consultation with local traders and residents, 2020 will see the first major public realm scheme on site at Portland Road, Worthing.
Taking a stake goes well beyond 'bricks and mortar'. We recognised some time ago that culture is a vital part of our investment proposition with the potential to bring new life and energy to our places. In recent years we have transformed the cultural offer through high quality, innovative programming, new acts and genres and investment in our venues. The result been a huge growth in audience numbers and international recognition for programmes such as 'Summer of Circus'. In November 2019, Worthing Theatres and Museum was established as an independent charitable Trust to take the cultural offer to the next level.
The creative industries are playing an increasingly important role in our local economies and it is important that we understand and nurture their growth. At Colonnade House, Worthing, we used Coastal Communities Fund investment to transform a former shop into a gallery space and workspaces for creative businesses and makers. The project has been an outstanding success and a gallery space that showcases the work of local artists is now booked up for the next 2 years. Using our acquisition skills, we have purchased the properties next door to Colonnade House and we have put together a proposal for a digital hub that will meet some of the demand for space from growing businesses in the town.
The digital dimension is significant. Our ambition is to ensure to ensure that our communities benefit from the next generation of digital infrastructure; and it is being delivered right now. The two councils have partnered with West Sussex County Council, with support from DCMS to deliver internet speeds of 1Gbps (1,000 Mbps) to libraries, children's centres, theatres and other public buildings. The network is built, owned and operated by Cityfibre and as it is installed, DCMS are offering financial support to SMEs through a gigabit voucher scheme.
As with so many places, the health of our town centres presents both real concerns, but also significant opportunities. We are taking a stake through the acquisition of properties in key locations and re-purposing redundant spaces with new spaces for innovation. This includes supporting the expansion of our local music economy which helps to provide a platform for artists to showcase their work, promotes social inclusion opportunities for young people, and supports our evening and night-time economy.
Over the past 3 years, we have made some bold planning decisions which signal our ambition and are now being delivered on the ground. Roffey Homes are at an advanced stage in the construction of a mixed use scheme that includes 140 new homes on the seafront at Worthing and features a 15 storey tower. This new scheme built on the site of our former swimming pool, has been designed by Allies and Morrison architects and complements Splashpoint, the new public swimming pool next door designed by Wilkinson Eyre.
Excitingly, Boxpark have secured approval to transform a rather unappealing public WC into a magnificent new café and community space at Beach Green, Shoreham. In a similar vein, one of our less attractive seafront shelters in Worthing will now be re-imagined as a new Bistro Pierre restaurant.
Southern Housing Group are on site developing out a major scheme at the Western Harbour Arm, Shoreham that includes 540 new homes. This project benefits from £10m HIF funding secured via Homes England. Hyde Housing are active on a riverside scheme at Ropetackle North in Shoreham and the main site of the former Civic Centre site is now the subject of an agreement with Hyde to provide 170 new homes and flexible business space.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are busy extending their Premier League training facility in Lancing to provide additional accommodation for the women's team. Under the banner of New Monks Farm Ltd. the Club has secured planning approval for 600 new homes, an IKEA store and a new 28 hectare country park next to the training facility. This development and additional commercial floorspace at the adjacent Shoreham Airport benefit from the flood protection offered by the completion of the major phases of Adur Tidal Walls scheme by the Environment Agency. A further £6m of LGF has been secured from Coast to Capital to deliver a major new roundabout on the A27.
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