Council's focus to be on redeveloping Worthing's Grafton multi-storey car park

Released: Friday, 12 September 2025

Grafton multi-storey car park won't reopen in its current form before the site is redeveloped, with the focus instead being on transforming the site into a valuable regeneration project for the seafront and town centre.

Bringing the ageing building back into use would cost taxpayers at least £17.1m and cause lengthy disruption, and was discussed by our Joint Strategic Committee last night.

Councillors agreed that this would not deliver the best value for taxpayers due to its proximity to being redeveloped.

Instead we will prioritise finding a developer who is keen to take on and transform the site for the benefit of the whole community, in line with Worthing's Local Plan and the site's key location on the town's seafront.

Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, the Level 1 food and drink area and a small number of shops in Montague Street that also form part of the site will remain open while the site comes forward for redevelopment.

Since we began remarketing the site in August there has been strong interest in it from a number of potential buyers. A number of expressions of interest are expected to be submitted before the 10th October 2025 deadline we have set for developers to come forward.

Offers that come in will be explored and evaluated before a preferred option for the redevelopment of the site will be selected.

We could then be in a position to be able to select a developer for the project in Spring 2026.

The government's announcement of £39 billion of investment to support the construction of affordable homes across the country could help drive forward the project.

Last night councillors were given details of a study by independent specialist civil and structural engineering firm HOP Consulting and chartered surveyors MacConvilles that outlined the scale of the work required to bring Grafton car park back into use.

We closed Grafton in May to carry out urgent investigation work because of concerns that its condition had visibly deteriorated suddenly.

The study estimates that even the most basic set of repairs and renovation required to make the structure safe to use would cost £17.1m at least. This does not include any work to the building's lifts or drainage, which would also be needed. It also does not include the additional cost to the council of borrowing the money required to fund the work, nor any planning or legal costs.

Any project to refurbish the car park would take at least 18 months to complete, by which time it is hoped the redevelopment of the site will have advanced significantly.

The level of borrowing required to fund the work would have likely led to us having to significantly increase fees, charges and council tax for many years, as well as potentially having to reduce other services to balance the books.

Cllr Sophie Cox, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said:

“It's clear to us that the right thing to do is to focus on the regeneration of the site rather than spending taxpayers' money on a short-term fix.

“The Grafton car park has served Worthing well for more than 60 years but it's now time for it to make way for a new, exciting project to reinvigorate the heart of the town centre for everyone who lives, works and visits here.”

The closure of Grafton has prevented residents of Knightsbridge House from accessing their car park. Councillors last night welcomed details from officers on a plan to create temporary spaces close to the entrance to Grafton for some of those residents with mobility issues, in addition to the spaces it has set aside at Buckingham Road multi-storey car park for the other Knightsbridge House tenants.

Although the car park is closed to the public, Hollywood Bowl, Level 1 and nearby shops remain open and safe to visit.