Facts

All of Goring Gap should have been developed in the 1930’s, as was originally planned, only the outbreak of WW2 stopped it. In 1930 Goring Gap formed part of the land surrounding Goring Hall, then a School and now a private hospital. Plans were agreed by Worthing Borough Council (formerly Worthing Corporation) to develop all of the land from the Littlehampton Road to the Seafront. The town agreed to purchase the Greensward as an open space for £15,000 as long as drains and a sewage system were installed. The Town was given the Ilex Way and the Plantation in return for granting planning permission for the Goring Hall Estate. This was all documented and is stored in the archives at Worthing library. The original agreed plan and town meeting notes are all still there. 

While 60% of the plan was fulfilled (the right side of the Plantation) development stopped after the outbreak of WW2. During the war Goring Gap was used for tank practice and towards the end of the war Goring Beach was used to dismantle the landing craft used in the D-Day landings. One famous resident (Bob Monkhouse) tells of his time there. See here. After the war finished the developer, having lost his sons and workers to the war, was unable to finish the remaining houses. As a result the land became what you see today.

The Planning Inpectorate has confirmed there is no evidence our land has ever been used for agriculture and the last know use was residential development. However, they have said that any previous planning permission, for residential development, has now ceased with the passage of time. In order to try and prevent any building on Going Gap, and in order to protect the views of residents of another borough (Ferring) Worthing Borough Council have now designated Goring Gap a ‘green gap’. This was spearheaded by the previous MP Sir Peter Bottomley and is continued today by the current MP Dr Beccy Cooper. It is worth noting that no houses in Worthing or Goring currently directly overlook Goring Gap and Worthing Council is missing all its house building targets to house its own residents. Worthing Borough Council is now under enormous financial pressure as a direct result.

More facts.

Underneath Goring Gap are the foundations for hundreds (if not thousands) of houses and more importantly, a main drain sewage system. The pumping station still remains. In fact, the land has covenants on it relating to the building of houses; as was planned and agreed before in 1930 before WW2. 

As a town Worthing is outgrowing itself. To quote a local Historian. ‘The population of West Sussex in 1930 was about 270,000, at the time the Goring Hall estate plans were drawn up, it is now nearly 900,000 – we have become an overpopulated town by any reasonable measure’.

Worthing is missing all its national house building targets. The Worthing Borough Council Housing Delivery Test published in June 2024 (click here) states that Worthing has only achieved 32.5% of its housebuilding targets between 2019 and 2022.  

Worthing does not have enough council houses or starter homes for its current or future population. A recent article states there are hundreds of local Worthing people having to be housed by the council outside the borough because of a lack of local accommodation. An article in the BBC dated 11 October 2025 stated Worthing is now having to borrow money from Central Government because of its increased housing costs. Sophie Cox, the current Leader of Worthing Borough Council says in the article ‘the council was facing “considerable pressures” financially. The authority was spending 26% (circa £10,000,000.00) of its net revenue budget on housing and accommodation’. This is not housebuilding but house renting, mainly outside the borough. 

A report by Moody’s, the leading credit ratings agency has Worthing Borough Council listed as the 5th most at risk council in the UK. This was raised at a recent Worthing Council meeting in September 2025 – see here.

Geographical pressure.

Worthing is a crescent town, it is cut in half by a natural barrier, the sea. It will therefore always be limited in its ability to expand and meet its mandatory government housing targets. Worthing also has another natural barrier, the South Downs National Park. Therefore, the only way Worthing can expand is sideways.

Developing Goring Gap will be good for the community.

There are already plenty of outside spaces for people to enjoy fresh air. In fact our air is so clean and fresh off the sea trees bend inland. There is our glorious pebble beach and one of the longest promenades in Europe, the Cissbury Ring and the South Downs. Worthing has a large green gap already along its seafront, it’s called Greensward and runs between our land and the sea. This is used by people every year and was purchased by the town in 1930 in order to grant planning permission for the development of all of Goring Gap. Our land is therefore always going to enjoy direct sea views.

Goring and Ferring are already connected by up to a 1000 houses that run along the Ilex Way, as per the plan. There is no Goring Gap only uneconomical farm fields owned by one of the largest housebuilders in the UK, Persimmon Homes. So, unless Worthing Borough Council revise their government housebuilding targets, and given the towns rising population, falling death rates and cost of housing people outside the borough, you will arrive at the inevitable; at some point in time Goring Gap (all of it) will need to be developed for the good of Worthing residents. As was originally planned in 1930. Why else would Persimmon Homes sit on their landbank and wait? They are house builders not farmers.