Have your say on vision for future of Worthing

After five years in the making and input from hundreds of residents, businesses and stakeholders, the draft Worthing Local Plan is now ready to be formally submitted. If adopted, it will guide the development of the town for the next 15 years.

Central to the vision is the creation of 4,600 new homes, primarily on brownfield sites such as Teville Gate and Union Place, while large open spaces, such as Brooklands Park, Goring Gap and Chatsmore Farm, would be preserved and enhanced.

A key driver to the document is sustainability with Worthing Borough Council one of the first in the country to embed United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into its development plan.

Ahead of the plan being submitted to the government, interested parties can comment on the legal soundness of the final draft plan online.

The Covid-safe consultation will run online only for eight weeks, rather than the usual six, until March 23.

This input will then be passed directly to the Government-appointed planning inspector so that they can make a fair assessment on the detailed document.

Kevin Jenkins, the council’s executive member for regeneration, said: “The Worthing Local Plan has been years in the making. After considering valuable input from residents and a range of partners, I believe the final document provides a clear sense of our determination to craft and grow our town to create a community that can thrive now and for generations to come.

“Like our residents, we have high ambitions for our places, our communities and their futures. We respect the fascinating histories that have made us what we are and we intend to build upon them to develop prosperous, flourishing and healthy communities for the long term.

“It also underlines our ambition to address local and national issues, whether that be housing provision or climate change.

“I’m pleased we have now reached this final stage and look forward to the government reviewing the final document, along with any further comments, later this year.”