Enhancing the public realm to boost the town centre economy
Town Centre Public Realm
Bognor Regis
£2.8m
Arun District Council, Bognor Regis Town Council, West Sussex County Council
Coastal Communities Fund, Portas Pilots, Section 106
2013 – 2017
Town (pop. 25,021)
Economy
Less affluent
Creation of walking networks linking key trip attractors / Improved connectivity to other sustainable transport modes / Improvements to pedestrian comfort, convenience and personal safety / Deprioritisation of vehicles / Multiple improvement development or regeneration programmes
To address high retail vacancy rates of 13% and a struggling retail core, a stakeholder forum led by Arun District Council developed plans to improve the town centre public realm and create stronger linkages between the seafront and town. These aimed to attract more visitors and new businesses to the town centre, and to encourage existing businesses to improve their frontages. Overall, there was a desire to make Bognor Regis town centre a nicer place to live, work and visit, and to build a greater sense of civic pride. There was extensive engagement with local community and stakeholders throughout the design process, as cooperative working was seen as vital to maintaining the public realm once it was improved.
The public realm improvements were funded and delivered in three phases over the period 2013-2017, using the same high-quality materials throughout (e.g. wayfinding monoliths), to create consistency:
The retail core of London Road precinct was largely pedestrianised, with more seating, dwelling spaces and outdoor spaces for café tables, and new walking routes to link to the seafront and railway station. Events were put on, including themed markets, children’s fun days and live music, with large scale events attracting up to 20,000 visitors.
Station Square, the rail station forecourt, was transformed into a gateway to the town, with walking links leading visitors towards the precinct and seafront. This kickstarted separate projects to refurbish the neglected Grade II listed station building and introduce new cafes and a shared workspace into derelict spaces.
A safer, pedestrian-friendly route was created to link Station Square to the London Road precinct. Traffic was slowed with narrower carriageways, raised tables and coloured surfaces at junctions. Pedestrians were made to feel safer with widened and resurfaced pathways, new and realigned pedestrian crossings, new seating and tree planting. Railings and street clutter were taken away. The High Street was also enhanced with new pavements, road surfaces and street furniture to attract people to this key east-west axis of shops and food and drink outlets.
Alongside these physical improvements, a Business Improvement District was formed and a small grants fund for shopfront improvements was created from business rates income.
The enhanced public realm, in combination with the town centre management initiatives, enabled Bognor Regis to remain economically stable at a time of decline for many town centres. A number of good quality independent food and drink outlets and mid-range stores have since opened in the town centre. Vacancy rates halved between 2012 and 2018, and in 2019 were below the national average (7.5% compared with 10.3%).
Over 60% of town centre properties made significant improvements to their outward appearance with some also investing in internal shop-fitting and their upper storeys. Some converted this from storage into residential accommodation, bringing new permanent footfall into the town centre. Overall, the value of privately funded improvements to these premises is conservatively estimated to have been £5m.
Before-and-after surveys of local traders (in 2014 and 2018) showed that 75% agreed that the town looked and felt better than before, and 25% thought the improvements had had a positive effect on their business. Despite an overall downturn for town centres nationally, there was an increase (+9 percentage points) in the proportion thinking that Bognor Regis is a good place to do business, and business confidence (expressed in the likelihood of employing more staff) remained consistent.
Resident and visitor surveys overwhelmingly showed that people thought the town centre looked and felt better than before the improvements (88%). Although they reported spending less on household goods in the town, their spend on food and drink rose significantly – indicating a shift to a more experience-based town centre.
Bognor Regis Town Centre Public Realm Scheme – Final Evaluation Report