In 2020 Worthing Borough Council produced this 194 page document. It is called the ‘Local Plan’ and cost nearly £1m of Council Tax money to produce. The forward states: ‘Our Local Plan sets out the long-term vision for Worthing’s development so we can deliver our ambitions for Worthing to be a vibrant place to live and work.’

Section 1.44 states:

To help meet the town’s potential it is essential that the Local Plan helps to unlock key development sites, particularly those in and around the town centre and seafront that provide the greatest potential to deliver social and economic benefits. Some of these sites have been vacant or in poor condition for a number of years and their sustainable redevelopment provides a unique opportunity to improve the town’s identity, enhance the public realm, add vibrancy and improve connectivity. The redevelopment of some of these sites also provides an opportunity to capitalise on the seafront setting and maintain and improve community facilities and the borough’s retail, tourism and leisure offer in order to better compete with other towns across the wider area. Elsewhere, a challenge will be to provide new premises to meet identified employment needs and support local business.

In January 2023 we purchased part of Goring Gap, which was derelict and unused and had been so since building work stopped after the outbreak of war in 1939. The land was put up for sale on the open market in 2022. The phrase ‘open market’ means anyone could buy it, including WBC and other residents. We paid the full asking price and purchased it though our pension funds. Part of the legal requirements for land purchased through a pension fund is it cannot be used for residential development. It has to be used commercially.

Our land was densely overgrown and full of rubbish. To put this in perspective, after we cleared the entrance of brambles, overgrowth and rubbish Worthing Borough Council Planning Department accused us of removing earth to make an entrance and install gates. The legal entrance (on Land Registry) and gates were in fact already there but had been obscured by years of overgrown, debris and rubbish.

Our land is not in conservation area or indeed a residential area. It is opposite a green space owned by WBC where 1000’s of people bring their own alcohol and eat food each year – Greensward. WBC have even constructed BBQ stations for the public to use. Next to us (approx. 1/2 a mile away) is the Sea Lane café that has an alcohol licence, which has recently been approved for greater alcohol sales and longer licencing hours, and this too is owned by WBC. WBC issue licences (at significant cost to street traders) in the roads around us. There are also street traders who are able to sell alcohol on the streets and promenade – Worthing Gin for example.

In January this year we applied for a lawful development certificate to WBC planning department to place a shaded sandpit on our land for children to play in. It was refused, among other things, because Worthing Borough Council classed a children’s sandpit as ‘operational development’. We are currently awaiting a hearing with the Planning Inspectorate.

Each year Worthing Borough Council permit an unsupervised open-air sandpit at the town square on the corner of Warrick Street and South Steet. Parents are expected to supervise their children’s safety and behaviour, there are no barriers to stop children running onto the busy South Street and Warrick Street is full of coffee shops and pubs. At the hearing the panel asked how we would supervise children in the sandpit. We replied honestly that parents would be expected to supervise their own children in the sandpit.

This transposed to:

The Committee were dismayed to hear from the Applicant that they would not be monitoring the activity of children in the licenced area and this would be the responsibility of the parents. In addition, there was no assurance as to how the premises would ensure children did not come to harm.

Obviously no one at Worthing Borough Council has ever visited a pub garden, which most of the time are unsupervised.