Traders are celebrating as a grant of £1.65 million has been awarded to Arun District Council to help renovate and regenerate Bognor Regis town centre. The grant, from the government’s Coastal Communities Fund, will be used to improve the area from the station to the seafront. The aim is to create a vibrant, modern and attractive seaside town centre – leading to the creation of 178 jobs. The award follows a successful bid for funding, made by the council.

Many improvements will be financed by the fund and plans include a new, welcoming Station Square and the area in front of Morrisons being uplifted to create a cafe quarter. The sun sculpture will be moved from the junction of the precinct and High Street. Extensive work with paving, lighting, street furniture, and planting will make the council’s vision for the wider town centre become a reality.

Commenting on Arun District Council’s successful bid, Leader, Councillor Mrs Gillian Brown, said: “When the work is complete we are confident the redesigned public realm will attract new shops and shoppers to the town centre, and encourage visitors to stay longer in the town. All of this will help safeguard existing businesses, attract new businesses to the town and provide the right environment for companies to create more jobs for the town centre. This will keep more local money within the local economy.”

Chris Heaps, Chair of the Bognor Regis Traders’ Association, added: “This is a fantastic boost for Bognor Regis Town Centre – the current phase of improvements to the London Road precinct was almost unanimously approved by traders and this announcement adds masses of icing to that cake.

“These additional works will help to bring the businesses on Station Road, London Road North and York Road into the ‘Shopping Centre’ and will guide visitors through the town from the station to our greatest asset, the seafront. I am very excited about this new funding and believe that it will be the first step towards securing Bognor Regis’ future prosperity.”