Opinion: Is Shoreham Harbour the key to rejuvenating the town?

A regeneration of Shoreham Harbour could rejuvenate the town. Do you agree or disagree? Whether you want the plans to be scrapped or you think they should be set in motion straight away, you are being given the opportunity to voice your opinion during an eight-week public consultation which began on Friday, 16th December and continues until Friday, 10th February.

But, before you have a say, do you know exactly what the plans entail? It is easy to start forming an opinion based on either hearsay or what we think might be the result of such a change within the town that we live – which can sway us either positively or negatively. But, if we don’t know all the details, how can we know that opinion won’t change at a later date – when it is too late perhaps…

So, what is the plan?

The plan envisions future opportunities for new housing and employment space in the harbour as well as the surrounding area. It also includes proposals and policies for adapting to climate change, upgrading flood defences, recreational and community facilities, sustainable travel and environmental improvements.

It has been jointly prepared by Adur District Council, Brighton & Hove City Council and West Sussex County Council, working closely with Shoreham Port Authority.

Cllr Neil Parkin, leader of Adur District Council, says: “It’s important that, as the project progresses, we undertake public consultations to engage with residents and businesses to produce a shared vision for Shoreham Harbour’s regeneration.”

He goes on to explain, “The plan covers a wide range of issues that those living in the area take very seriously – such as managing flood risk, enhancing the natural environment and eco-friendly methods of transport. Therefore it’s key that we can involve as many individual’s views as we can.”

This public consultation hopes to finally put the wheels into motion of a plan that has been in the pipeline for many years.

It will act as a guide to regeneration over the next 15 to 20 years, which is why it is so important to the councils that residents, local businesses and community groups take part and discuss it, because it will affect each and everyone of them in some way.

Cllr Julie Cattell, chair of Brighton & Hove City Council’s Planning Committee, said: “This consultation is a way to involve everyone in a very important discussion about Shoreham Harbour. We want to do our best to accommodate local opinions in the project.” And she agrees with Cllr Parkin, saying, “It’s important that as many people as possible take part in the consultation so that their voices can be heard and their views taken into consideration.”

Cllr Bob Lanzer, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport at West Sussex County Council, said “Shoreham Harbour plays an important role in the economy of the south east by supplying minerals for use in the construction industry. We welcome views on our plan to safeguard wharves for mineral transportation, while also meeting our aspirations for regeneration of the area.”

Many businesses are also pleased about the plans to regenerate the harbour, particularly storage company, Ready Steady Store, who open there in January. Its spokesperson said, “we are very excited to open our 10th storage facility in the town of Shoreham-by-Sea this month. The regeneration of the harbour definitely played a part in our decision because it will give the area a new lease of life and help the economy for everyone who lives and works there.”

However, several residents, while not completely opposed to the plans, do have some concerns. The Kingsway and West Hove Residents’ Association explains, “The Aldrington Basin part of Shoreham Harbour lies on the doorstep of the attractive residential area of southwest Hove.  So, after many years of indecision about overall future planning for the harbour, local residents were generally pleased to see the councils’ plans for promoting the future of the marine and business activities in the harbour.” However, “there was concern about the impact on long-established harbour activities of new housing proposed on the fringes of the harbour.”

The spokesperson for the association continues “Likewise, local residents were concerned that the scale of the new blocks of flats should fit in with the scale of existing housing adjoining them, and that these blocks should not overshadow housing specifically designed in the 1920s to benefit from their light and airy location on land lying above the level of the harbour.” 

The Kingsway and West Hove Residents’ Association submitted a number of comments on the previous version of the proposed development plan, both in support of some policies, and in objection to others. “An initial look at the new completely revised version of the plan suggests that some of our points have been accepted, but not others. So we will now have to spend the next month closely examining the new document and drawing up a new submission to the council.”

Shoreham resident Adam Tinworth shares a very similar view. He explains: “The idea that the town needs rejuvenating is a little odd. It’s clearly been rejuvenating for a long while now – the town centre is healthy, with very few voids in the shops. House prices have been rising smartly for the last five years. Shoreham is not in need of rejuvenation.”

However, he continues: “That said, the harbour has been moving slowly eastwards for about 500 years now, and the town is really good at adapting and reusing the space that fills up. There’s no real problem with the developments – I think everybody wants to see that space brought back into useful economic use. Inevitably, there are concerns – school spaces and doctors’ appointments are already scarce and will only get worse with the new developments. Also, some of the proposals are very “blocky” – big, monolithic blocks that obscure views and don’t really mesh well with established high density developments like Emerald Quay and Ropetackle. The council needs to enforce better design standards, and all will be good.”

The Shoreham Society, set up as an independent voice for residents of the town share some of Adam’s concerns, stating “many Shoreham residents are extremely worried that the harbour ‘regeneration’ will hugely overload the already heavily-strained local infrastructure – roads, hospitals, schools, emergency services and everything else.  There is general scepticism about the promised economic benefits to the area from such large-scale development, and a fear that it will do more harm than good by greatly overstretching local capacity and services.”

The local authority envisages Shoreham Harbour as a vibrant, thriving waterfront destination. It promises improvements for the local community and hopes the plans will have a positive impact on the local economy. However, it is apparent that there are some shared concerns coming from residents in terms of the negative implications of such a regeneration.

Only time will tell whether the plans actually go ahead, let alone rejuvenate the town – but if you feel passionately about it, on either side, then it is time to have your say. It is your town after all!

By Naomi Webb