Lily Wells

Planning permission has been approved for Worthing Ice Rink to operate in Steyne Gardens for up to 110 days annually between November and February until 2033. Supporters cited benefits to sport, education, wellbeing, community engagement and the local economy, while the Worthing Society and some residents raised concerns about damage to the grass. A condition requiring the site to be restored by March 15 each year will be reinstated, and councillors unanimously approved the application.

Arun District Council is housing 252 households in temporary accommodation and spent £3,536,454.73 on emergency and temporary housing during 2025/26. The council is acquiring 18 new-build homes through the Local Authority Housing Fund, with 10 designated for temporary accommodation and eight for Afghan resettlement. Eight two-bedroom properties have been authorised at a total cost of £2.51 million, and the wider project has a £7.465 million spending limit funded through government grants, a Section 106 agreement and borrowing. The purchases are expected to save about £260,000 annually by reducing reliance on expensive emergency accommodation.

Plans have been submitted to convert a three-bedroom terraced house at 21 Longford Road, Bognor Regis, into an eight-bedroom HMO with communal facilities, ensuite bedrooms and shared bathrooms. The proposal includes a loft conversion and rear extension, with no off-street parking because of the property’s proximity to public transport and local amenities. The applicant says the property is currently in poor condition and that local HMO concentrations would remain below Arun District Council’s 10% threshold. A £974 contribution toward access management in the Pagham Harbour mitigation area is proposed through a Section 106 agreement. Arun District Council is due to decide the application by September 29, 2026.

Plans have been submitted to convert a three-bedroom terraced house at 21 Longford Road in Bognor Regis into an eight-bedroom house in multiple occupation, including a communal kitchen and dining room, en-suite bedrooms and shared bathrooms. The proposal involves a loft conversion and rear extension, with no off-street parking. The applicant says the property is currently in poor condition and that its location near public transport and shops would encourage car-free travel. The application states that local HMO concentrations would remain below Arun District Council’s 10% threshold. Because the site is in the Pagham Harbour Zone B mitigation area, a Section 106 agreement and a proposed £974 access-management contribution would be required. Arun District Council is expected to decide the application by September 29, 2026.

Residents in Worthing and Adur have until Monday, August 17, to apply for membership of the four-person Joint Independent Remuneration Panel, which reviews councillors’ allowances. Applicants must be independent of the councils, attend up to five meetings annually, and will receive £75 per meeting, or £100 for the chair. Councillors’ basic allowances for 2025/26 are approximately £5,902.80 in Adur and £6,183.36 in Worthing, with additional payments possible for special responsibilities, travel and caring costs.

Arun District Council has approved plans to convert the upper floors of the former HSBC building at 45 High Street, Bognor Regis, into six one-bedroom flats. The revised proposal reduces the building’s height by two metres after an earlier design was criticised as overbearing and overshadowing. The ground floor will remain commercial because of flood risk, while the lack of parking and outdoor space was accepted due to the site’s central location and public transport access. Construction will be subject to environmental, drainage, energy-efficiency, cycle-storage and working-hours conditions.