Montague Gardens in Montague Place, Worthing
Work to transform Montague Place into Montague Gardens - a vibrant green space that links Worthing town centre to the seafront - began in summer 2025.
The design for Montague Gardens was created in collaboration with businesses and the community via several in-person events and online consultations in order to breathe new life into the town centre, attract more visitors and boost local businesses.
Stand-out features include a vibrant Worthing place sign created by artist Molly Hawkins with input from residents at a trio of workshops, as well as a green living wall and a performance area at the north end.
To enquire about using the stage for a performance, please see:
Lots of new trees, shrubs and flowers have been planted throughout the space and attractive new paving has been installed. The planting will take time to fully establish, including the green wall which has been planted at 1.5 metres high and will grow to cover the metal structure behind the stage over time.
There are plenty of seating areas, including a new lawn space, and cafe culture has been kept alive with dedicated spaces for businesses to have outdoor seating. More lighting has also been installed to increase safety in the evenings.
Linking the town centre to the sea is a key feature of the whole project and the southern end of the space features an innovative play area that has been designed to resemble sea kelp. The bespoke terrazzo play area will allow children to climb freely and safely with a view of the sea in the near distance.
Installation of the new kiosk will follow shortly, and we will let you know when it will open and who will be operating it via our social media channels.
Montague Gardens is the third public realm regeneration project within the Worthing Growth Deal - a partnership between Worthing Borough Council and West Sussex County Council.
The works cost £3.1m and were funded by £2.7m from Worthing Borough Council's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Strategic Fund, which is made up of payments made by developers building in the local area, and £400,000 of pooled business rates agreed with West Sussex County Council.
Understand more about CIL funding and how it can be spent here:
Community engagement
The design for Montague Gardens brings together a range of aspirations heard from our conversations with the community, including sustainability, accessibility, shelter from the sun and wind and better access to the seafront.
We spoke to access groups, local businesses and other community groups in a series of walkabouts and a 'world café' event, and held a public consultation on the initial concept design which ran for four weeks in 2023. This consultation had 112 responses with many strongly in favour of green areas and the concept of a seafront garden.
Image: Montague Place - Artist recording of the responses from the online and in-person consultations with residents, businesses and community groups - word cloud showing what is in the surrounding area (click the image below for a larger copy that you can zoom into)
Photo: Montague Gardens - Drumheads Samba Band performing at the opening event
Photos: Views of the new Montague Gardens
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
How will Montague Gardens be maintained?
Montague Gardens has a two-year contract with the landscaping company Acre to look after the planting. There are plans to create a ‘Friends of Montague Gardens' group too.
The area will be cleaned regularly as part of the usual town centre works.
What if graffiti appears?
Graffiti can be reported through our website:
It will be cleaned by our team as soon as possible.
When will the play area be open?
We are awaiting safety flooring to be laid and some joining work to be completed. The area should be open by the end of September at the very latest.
Are vehicles allowed in Montague Gardens?
No, the only vehicles permitted into Montague Gardens will be emergency vehicles. Any other vehicle will face traffic enforcement penalties.
When will the kiosk arrive and be open?
We are currently working with the contractors on this. We received expressions of interest for the kiosk in the summer and are working on the licence details. We hope to announce more soon.
Need assistance with this service?
Get in touch:
Place & Economy Team
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Page last updated: 10 September 2026