Littlehampton town centre public realm improvements

17 June 2022

The works programme for Beach Road has been changed to reduce the road closure duration down to approximately three weeks. This is to lessen the impact on traders. The closure is scheduled for Monday 12 September 2022 but is subject to change.

27 May 2022

A temporary road closure on Beach Road will be enforced from mid-September to carry out essential drainage works.

20 May 2022

NHS are currently dismantling the COVID-19 Test Centre in St Martins car park. It will be reopened for parking thereafter

31 March 2022

NHS will be removing the COVID-19 Test Centre in St Martins car park on 18 April 2022

18 March 2022

Funding has been secured for the delivery of Phase 1.

1 February 2022

New information available, please see addressing your concerns.

21 January 2022

A small temporary road closure to the section of High Street between the entrance to Manor House car park and Lloyds Bank will take effect from Monday 24 January 2022 for approximately 4 weeks. Manor House car park will remain open with access being unaffected.

10 January 2022

The project was launched with a breaking ground event (please click image to view in full size)

21 December 2021

1. Part of St Martins car park will be closed from 3 January 2022
2. The location of Littlehampton’s Friday market may change throughout the project
3. Our contractors will be on-site between 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (daylight hours dependent)

16 December 2021

1. Our contractors have released details of their construction timetable. This is now available to view, download or print: 
2. Artist's images of Phase 1 (Terminus Road) are also now available.

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Surface sealant

Paving is being cleaned prior to sealant being applied on areas previously opened to pedestrians. Sealant also being applied to new paving (when weather conditions allow) before opening to the public

Broadband

Fibre broadband duct and chamber installations works are ongoing throughout the town

On East Street

• all paving has been laid and sealed
• bollards have been installed
• traffic signal columns have been relocated
• Royal Mail post-boxes have been relocated from outside the Arcade to outside the former Barclays Bank building

On Clifton Road

• paviours have been installed
• trees have been planted
• street furniture has been installed

On High Street

1. between museum entrance and Beach Road
   • this area has been completed
2. between Beach Road and Clifton Road
   • all paving works in this section are complete, including the application of sealant, besides some minor remedial works near the Arcade entrance
   • street furniture (bins, benches and cycle racks) has been installed
   • new drainage and channels have been laid
   • bollards have also been installed outside the entrance to Arcade
3. between Clifton Road and Duke Street
   • the old planters and street furniture have been removed
   • excavation works have begun
   • new power points, ducting and chambers have been installed and when completed the paving works will continue
   • new channels, drainage and paving have been installed to southern side of High Street between Clifton Road and Duke Street
4. between Duke Street and Surrey Street
   • new drainage works and channels continue to be installed on the southern side of High Street from Duke Street, west towards the clock tower
   • raised planters and street furniture have been removed opposite Duke Street
   • a double tree pit has been installed outside William Hill
   • paving works to the southern side of High Street are ongoing
   • a temporary tarmac surface has been installed so areas can be re-opened ahead of next phase of works
5. between Surrey Street junction and Arundel Road roundabout
   • paving works are complete
   • the position of parking spaces has changed outside Littlehampton United Church and the carriageway has been reduced to a single lane
   • low level fencing has been installed around the new plant pit outside Littlehampton United Church with planting complete outside David O. Jones and Littlehampton United Church
   • tree pits have been installed and three trees will be planted from 21 June 2022

On Beach Road between Smarts Corner and Arcade Road

• new kerbs and paving are being installed from Arcade Road towards Smarts Corner
• new signage has been erected to discourage HGVs turning right into Arcade Road
• drainage works are ongoing
• the entrance to the car park from Beach Road is now closed with vehicular access only via the entrance next to Littlehampton Museum
• a tree pit has been installed outside EJ Moyle solicitors

Select any image to see a larger version.

Last updated 17 June 2022

On High Street

1. between Duke Street and Surrey Street
   • works will start here on Monday 20 June to include a new CCTV column, ducting, planters will be removed, excavations for a tree pit and paving preparation
   • drainage and paving work will continue on the southern section of High Street by the clock tower and outside The Dolphin pub
2. between Clifton Road and Duke Street
   • a Christmas tree chamber will be fitted
   • electrical outlets will be installed for pop-up events
   • paving preparation

   On Beach Road

   • paving and drainage work to continue on the western footpath between Arcade Road and Smarts Corner

   Street Furniture

   New benches and bins will begin to be installed over the coming weeks after sealants have been applied to street surfaces.

   Last updated 17 June 2022

The proposed colour scheme and suggested paving, road and kerbing materials formed part of the public consultation exercise in 2016.

The final materials and designs may alter if this is recommended by Highways and / or civil engineers working on the scheme.

All the materials used will comply with national safety standards.

Our aim is to create an overall look and atmosphere that is unique to Littlehampton.

More information on the design elements are available in these two documents:

Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm Improvements Stage 3 Design [pdf] 12MB
Paving mix - pattern and location (indicative only) [pdf] 635KB (Note: This document does not detail the colour of slabs to be used only their pattern and location)

• Phase 1 – Terminus Road from Littlehampton Railway Station across Arundel Road into the High Street (funding in place)
• Phase 2 – High Street shopping precinct, including the junction with Surrey Street and side streets leading to the town centre, including Duke Street, St Martin’s Lane, Clifton Road and the Arcade (funding in place)
• Phase 3 – East Street through to the junction with the High Street and Beach Road (funding in place)
• Phase 4 – Surrey Street to the Look and Sea Centre and the links with Pier Road and New Road (no funding available yet)
• Phase 5 – The War Memorial roundabout in Beach Road (no funding available yet)

We have commissioned expert construction project management consultants Faithful+Gould to act as our professional team, acting as project manager, cost consultant and highways advisor.

Faithful+Gould are responsible for managing the procurement and tendering process for all elements of the work and have worked with us in the appointment of Edburton Contractors to carry out the first two phases of the work.

They also ensure key partners and stakeholders are working in a timely fashion and that the necessary permissions are in place to allow the works to take place.

Our contractors are on site between 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday (daylight hours dependent).

Full details are shown below.

PDF copy for download or print: Construction Sequencing Map Dates [pdf] 573KB

As of 20 May 2022, gangs 1, 2 & 4 are currently on schedule. Gang 3 is approximately 3 weeks behind, but Edburton have provided extra resources in this area to catch up.

Work started in January 2022, to allow traders and shoppers to avoid disruption during the Christmas retail period. 

All shops and businesses will be able to stay open during the works and emergency service access will be maintained at all times.

Arun District Council and Littlehampton Town Council are determined to keep Littlehampton’s shops, restaurants and cafés “Open for Business” during the works, especially after the loss of income suffered due to the coronavirus crisis.

We will keep all key stakeholders informed during the works.

The works will be completed in small physical “chunks” to limit disruption.

Arrangements will be in place to allow deliveries to shops to continue during the works.

We will do our best to ensure street markets can continue to operate during the works.

If we need to relocate markets as work takes place, we will make sure the changes are publicised.

The aim is to improve pedestrian priority in shopping areas whilst accommodating the access needs of traders.

Face to face interviews with traders have been carried out to understand their delivery needs and preferences for parking and loading arrangements in the project area.

Their views are being shared with highways experts who will create proposals which ensure parking and loading bays are wide enough for the vehicles using them and that there are safe crossing points for pedestrians.

Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) which control highway access and on-street parking are being reviewed to ensure concerns around parking spaces, time restrictions, loading bays and disabled parking are addressed.

In some areas, pavements may be widened to reduce traffic speed and make it easier to navigate the town on foot.

The Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm improvements comprise five key phases with a total cost of around £6 million and funding of £4.75m million is now in place to deliver Phase1, Phase 2 and Phase 3 of the scheme.

This includes £2.45 million from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund (confirmed in April 2019), £564,000 from Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership Local Growth Fund (confirmed in October 2019) and £200,000 from both Arun District Council and Littlehampton Town Council (confirmed in December 2019).

In March 2022, West Sussex County Council approved the allocation of £1.253m to deliver Phase 1.

The aim is to improve the look and feel of Littlehampton town centre and make it a great place to work, visit, socialise and spend time.

Regeneration hopes to attract private sector investment and transforming the town centre to meet changing shopping and leisure habits.

Similar schemes across the country and locally, such as Bognor Regis, have been successful in attracting external investment and injecting new life into the town centre.

This will be done by: -

• changing road layouts and traffic flow to give pedestrians priority and better use of public open spaces
• resurfacing pavements, roads and pedestrianised areas with higher-quality materials to make it look more attractive
• replacing benches, trees, public art and street furniture (bins etc.) to make spaces appear more open
• making it easier for shoppers and visitors to find their way around the town centre on foot
• improving the area between Littlehampton Railway Station and the town centre to make arrival approach into town by train more welcoming
• contributing to the bigger regeneration plans for Littlehampton, including improving links between the town centre, riverside and seafront

Key stakeholders, businesses and members of the public have been consulted and involved in the development of the Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm scheme since day one.

In 2016, problem areas and ideas for improvement were identified during a stakeholder “walkabout” in the town.

The findings were used in the design plans prepared by design company LDA, which were then subject to a three-week public consultation exercise, along with a display of some of the potential materials for paving slabs.

Support for the Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm proposals from all sectors of the community was overwhelmingly positive and you can view the results of the consultation here: Town Centre Public Realm Consultation Report 2016.pdf [pdf] 2MB

In 2016, the District Council ran a series of public consultation exercises on design proposals for improvements to the main shopping areas.

This included “walkabout” sessions with key stakeholders to identify problem areas, a public exhibition of the draft design plans and materials and a detailed survey of traders to explore their aspirations and hopes for the town centre.

The feedback (see Town Centre Public Realm Consultation Report 2016.pdf [pdf] 2MB), helped shape the final Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm Improvements designs which were approved by Arun’s Full Council in 2016.

The Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm Improvements comprises five key phases projected to cost around £6 million. Funding of £3.5 million is now in place to deliver two key phases of the scheme.

The Coronavirus pandemic has severely affected our ability to move the Littlehampton Town Centre Public Realm Project Improvements forward.

Key dates

2022

• March - funding for Phase 1 secured
• January - delivery of the project began

2021

• August – Councillors agree work will start in January 2022
• July 2021 – Start date of January 2022 for construction announced
• June - Completion of the detailed design stage
• March - Edburton Contractors appointed to deliver the first two phases

2020

• November – second tendering exercise undertaken
• October – Initial scope of project reduced
• September – first procurement tender exercise reveals funding shortfall
• March – first Coronavirus Lockdown
• Faithful+Gould appointed to project manage the technical team

2019

• Stage 2 CCF bid submitted (Feb) for town centre improvements Phases 1 and 2 (£2.49 million)
• funding bid to Local Growth Fund (July) for Phase 3 (£1.4 million).
• award 41% of request (£564,000)
• LTC and ADC both approve (Dec) contribution of £200,000 to enable Phase 3 to go ahead

2017

• initial funding bid to Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) for all 5 phases was unsuccessful.

2016

• Town Centre Public Realm designs created by LDA and three week public consultation with public, traders and councillors involved.
• good support in survey results for improvements.
• Arun applied to the Coastal Communities Fund and was invited to submit a second stage application

2015

• council agreed town centre public realm as priority project from 9 Big Ideas for Littlehampton
• awarded grant for design fees.
• Riverside walkway (£2 million) completed
• LDA Design appointed to work up designs for town centre

2014

• 9 Big Ideas for Littlehampton.pdf [pdf] 2MB published
• public realm linkages between seafront,
• riverside and town centre proposed

2004

• Littlehampton 2020 Vision Masterplan
• high quality public realm improvements to feature throughout vision and focus on improving