A POPULAR shopping centre is to be renamed as part of plans to transform the precinct into a new restaurant quarter.

The Montague Shopping Centre, the main shopping centre for Worthing, is to be renamed Montague Quarter.

It connects Chapel Road with Montague Place and the seafront.

In June last year owner NewRiver REIT was granted planning permission by Adur and Worthing councils to modernise the centre into a new restaurant quarter.

Alongside the new name is a logo reflecting the centre’s importance in Worthing.

It will feature the distinctive half-moon glass façade added as a decorative motif, a recognisable landmark within the area.

It will have a colour palette of aubergine and antique bronze.

Centre manager Ian Goodridge said: “The new brand is the first step towards changing the face of an iconic shopping destination in Worthing.

“There has been a lot of work behind the scenes to ensure that the brand clearly represents the centre and Worthing as a destination.”

The brand represents NewRiver’s vision of a high-quality restaurant quarter within the town, revitalising the centre.

The plans are attracting interest and demand from leading national restaurant operators with announcements to be made in due course.

The launch of Montague Quarter’s branding also provides shoppers with an opportunity to win some prizes.

The competition is being run on social media.

Search for and “like” Montague Quarter on Facebook for details of how to enter.

Prizes include wireless multi-room speakers from HMV worth more than £250, vouchers to spend in Beales department store in Worthing and tickets to the cricket T20 Blast, which has just started at Hove for the summer.

The plans were supported by Worthing Town Centre Initiative and Worthing and Adur Chamber of Commerce.

The investment was welcomed by businesses but the Worthing Society, supported by a petition of more than 1,500 signatures, opposed the loss of three sycamore trees for the project.