Locals bemused after Shoreham’s Ropetackle building renamed

What’s in a name? Well in Shoreham, it seems quite a lot after the renaming of the Ropetackle building has resulted in a real ruckus.

A few days ago the letters spelling Ropetackle on the side of the building were taken down and replaced with Basepoint.

Basepoint, a regional business centre, which bought the site in 2012, claimed it has done nothing wrong.

But locals, including ward councillor Mike Mendoza, disagree.

Cllr Mendoza said: “I’ve been inundated with calls, emails, texts, everything – it’s gone crazy.

“This has always been known as Ropetackle long before these buildings were here.”

A statement from bosses at Basepoint said it had permission from the local council to make the change.

Karen Osborne, Basepoint Regional Manager, said: “Basepoint bought the Shoreham centre from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) in 2012, and recently obtained Adur District Council’s approval to change the name of the building to Basepoint Business Centre. The new signs reflect that name change.”

But hundreds have signed a petition calling for it to be overturned.

Whether they will be listened to, time will only tell.