Council to take back control of key Bognor sea front site this week
Arun District Council (ADC) is pleased to confirm that it is taking back control of the former Brewers Fayre site at the Regis Centre from Whitbread on Monday 15 May and is working on creative plans to make best use of the space over the coming summer period.
As part of its exciting plans to regenerate the Regis Centre, the council is working with Arun Arts on the first stage – the rejuvenation of Alexandra Theatre. This has been welcomed following recent public consultation and a planning application for this part of the vision is expected to be submitted in early summer this year.
Arun District Council has also been working hard on the second stage of the regeneration – the Brewers Fayre building. A key part of this has been to secure the surrender of Whitbread’s lease on this part of the site. This has now been achieved and Monday 15 May is the official handover date.
The council knows how much interest there is in this site and is working on a range of exciting options for its long term regeneration. An announcement on this is expected to be made in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, they are pleased to be working with Bognor Regis Business Improvement District (BR BID) to create attractive window graphics for the Brewers Fayre building. These are being designed in accordance with the BID’s ‘Welcoming Town’ initiative and are expected to be installed shortly.
Arun District Council and the BID are also exploring options for the temporary reuse of the terrace on the front of the site (adjacent to The Esplanade), to enliven this part of the site for public use over the summer season. Further information on this (as well as how the inside of the building may be used) will be provided once specific plans are confirmed.
Neil Taylor, Arun District Council Regeneration Lead, said, “We appreciate the importance of the Regis Centre site to the Bognor Regis community. We are therefore pleased to be working with the BID to potentially enhance the outside of the building and create a welcoming community space over the summer in conjunction with Place St Maur. At the same time, the theatre rejuvenation plans are moving forward at pace, with our planning application expected to be submitted in the next few weeks.”
For further information please contact DevComms at regisrejuvenation@devcomms.co.uk.