Community conversations to drive the regeneration of Worthing
Released: Thursday, 23 February 2023
Revitalising under-used town centre sites for the benefit of the whole community will be a priority for Worthing Borough Council over the next year.
Cllr Dr Beccy Cooper, the Leader of the Council, told a meeting of the Full Council on Tuesday that it was time to unlock the potential of Teville Gate, Union Place, Montague Place and the town centre to make them greener and to revive them for residents.
In the summer we launched The Big Listen, with our officers and councillors travelling around the borough to listen to you about what you love about Worthing and how you’d like the town to change in the future.
Cllr Cooper pledged that this ongoing conversation with you will be an integral part of how we will work, making the town fairer for all residents over the next 12 months.
There will be extra funding for community groups and the projects in their areas that you and your neighbours want supported, using money from developers.
There will be a strategic review of our assets to ensure that redundant sites are not using up resources that could be used to improve the lives of locals, while there will be investment in brownfield sites to provide new council housing.
We also want to work closely with West Sussex County Council, in particular on boosting sustainable travel across the borough to encourage people to swap their cars for bikes, buses and trains - cutting pollution, protecting the climate and helping everyone to stay healthy.
The Full Council voted to increase its level of council tax by 2.99% for 2023/24 - the equivalent of an extra 15p per week for those living in a Band D property. That will also allow for new investment in parks, for greening of the town centre and to help residents, businesses and the environment to thrive.
Cllr Cooper said:
“Our vision for Worthing is to make it the greenest, fairest coastal town in the UK.
“This year, we have prioritised front line services that keep our communities safe and clean and allow residents to thrive. We will continue to do so, while unlocking the potential of all our citizens across the borough through investment in our amazing public spaces and underused sites.
“We are a Council for the community and we serve Worthing with the resources that we have. We have faced extreme challenges as a Council and as a community this year, and we will continue to move forwards together.”
(PR22-020)
Page last updated: 31 March 2023