Talks with police on town design

Developer St Modwen is working towards the date as it undergoes the many preliminary tasks necessary for such a large-scale project.

The proposed redevelopment of the Regis Centre/ Hotham Arts Centre and Hothamton car park sites is estimated to be worth 100m.

Work on the sites could start as early as the second half of next year, if planning permission is granted by Arun District Council. The construction is scheduled to last until 2013.

As part of the lengthy preparations for the planning application, St Modwen has met with Sussex Police and flooding experts from the Environment Agency to hear their views about the proposals. The seafront site was the focus of the talks.

The discussions were attended by representatives from St Modwen, the company's architects KSS Design Group and the district council as well as the Environment Agency.

On the agenda was the main topic of the potential for flooding of the location alongside The Esplanade and how climate change, with its rising sea levels, could affect parts of the development area in future.

The meeting considered the initial findings of a study into the threat of flooding on the western West Sussex coast which is being undertaken by Arun and Chichester district councils.

St Modwen will have to submit a detailed flood risk assessment for its schemes to Arun within an environmental impact assessment when it submits its planning application.

The meeting with the police involved Chief Inspector Brian Bracher, the Arun district's most senior police officer, a Sussex Police crime prevention officer, St Modwen development surveyor Gary Morris and David Keirle, from KSS.

It centred around the secured by design initiative on how to reduce crime by including effective crime prevention and security measures at every stage of the planning and building process.

The talks will be followed by a development agreement between Arun and St Modwen, due to take place this July, and public consultation during the summer.

Mr Morris said: 'Although consultation will be widespread after the signing of the development agreement with the council, it was important for us to meet the police and the secured by design team early to understand the local crime and safety issues which may shape the future development of the masterplan.

'We are committed to ensuring that, as the proposals are developed, all aspects of design will take in account local issues and concerns and actually seek to alleviate, rather than exacerbate them. The local community will, of course, also have the opportunity to have their say on security and safety issues in relation to the development proposals.'