COUNCIL leaders have put pen to paper on a growth deal to deliver housebuilding and employment schemes worth hundreds of millions of pounds.

Adur and Worthing council leaders Neil Parkin and Daniel Humphreys joined West County Council leader Louise Goldsmith in signing a joint pledge to work in partnership on a number of key projects during the next five years.

The deal will act as a spur for the local plan which aims to deliver more than 6,500 homes and create 11,500 jobs across Adur and Worthing in the next 15 years.

It is the third growth deal West Sussex has signed with its district and borough counterparts following in the footsteps of Crawley in December and Mid Sussex last month.

The county council said work is ongoing to explore growth deals with other partner authorities.

Development priorities include bringing new homes, commercial, leisure and retail floorspace to Worthing town centre at Teville Gate House and Union Place.

Other projects developing New Monks Farm and Shoreham Airport, Shoreham Harbour and the West Sussex One Public Estate Partnership to redevelop public sites at Pond Road, Shoreham and Centenary House, Durrington.

The growth deal also include ambitions for Gigabit Fibre Broadband across West Sussex.

Councillor Goldsmith said: “As councils, our first priority is always our residents so by working closer together we can multiply our impact and unlock opportunities for new homes and employment.

“We will also use our combined knowledge to attract investments from the private sector and funding opportunities from a variety of sources. I am so delighted to have this agreement in place and look forward to seeing its impact.”

Cllr Parkin said: “This is another step forward as we continue our ambitious plans to create high-quality places for people to live, work and visit in Adur.

“This five year deal with West Sussex shows our commitment to working with others to create hundreds of new homes and new jobs across the district while providing great value for money for local taxpayers.

“It means we can bring forward new developments, such as the proposal for New Monks Farm, as well as bringing redundant sites, such as the former Burrscrofte care home in Pond Road, back into use.

“Where better to sign this deal than in the Shoreham Centre, a building which shows our commitment to creating platforms for our communities to thrive.”