Background

Historically, previous attempts to create development in the Shoreham Port area have been unsuccessful because they haven’t addressed local community needs and there has been a funding gap which has not allowed the investment in infrastructure needed for an increase in housing and jobs.

We are now in a new situation – and have created the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration project to reflect that.

In December 2007 SEEDA granted £2.95 million towards Shoreham Harbour regeneration and a huge amount of work has been done to create the right partnerships, invest in the expertise to set up an effective way of addressing regeneration in the area and attract further funding for infrastructure.

To this end, Adur District Council, Brighton and Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council, working with Shoreham Port Authority, SEEDA, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) and other agencies are working in partnership to achieve much needed economic, social and infrastructure improvements along this stretch of coast.

A large-scale regeneration including the provision of new jobs and housing, as well as the new facilities and infrastructure needed to serve the area, is being proposed.

The project successfully won ‘Growth Point Status’ from the Government in July 2008, meaning that it could attract investment of millions of pounds to make improvements for the local community as part of a regeneration programme. This support at a time when government investment in many other programme areas is reducing, is particularly significant.

The geography for the project addresses a much larger area than previous ones - roughly from Hove Lagoon to Shoreham, including the whole Port, but also including a lot of areas north of the A259 along the way.

In September [2008], Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and West Sussex Council formed a steering group to oversee the preparation of a Joint Area Action Plan to set planning guidelines for the area and appointed a Planning Director to manage this process.

In December 2008, the Government awarded £3million to the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration Project over the next two years, which will be spent on land acquisition, transport infrastructure and management of the project. It also opens the door to bid for many more millions for regeneration infrastructure support in the future.

In July 2009, the Shoreham Harbour Regeneration Project was affected by Government cut backs and the project was slowed down. However, in October 2009, the three Councils involved took control of the project, agreeing to create the first Joint Committee of its kind locally to take forward regeneration plans. The partnership is working closely with Shoreham Port, the Environment Agency and other agencies to bring about an approved Joint Area Action Plan in 2012. The partnership aims to have a range of options for Shoreham Harbour ready for public consultation in the summer of 2010.