Shoreham-by-Sea: The place to be?

Now its good fortunes are starting to spread. Proposals unveiled last week to build an iconic bridge similar to Newcastle's "winking eye" in Shoreham are the latest in a string of developments breathing new life into the town. Is Shoreham set to steal Brighton's title of 'The place to be?'

The future of Shoreham is looking rosy.

New developments, restaurants and businesses seem to be ten-a-penny in the town these days and house prices have shot up accordingly.

Now a blueprint for a "Renaissance" of the town centre has been drawn up which includes possibilities of a new town square in Pond Road, pedestrianised riverside walks with artistic lighting, and better, more strategically-placed car parks to ease congestion.

More housing is also planned, and a proposed iconic footbridge is seen as a priority to "capture the spirit" of the rebirth, inspiring confidence and optimism, in turn attracting investment.

It is an exciting turnaround for Shoreham. From its heyday in the Sixties, it had fallen to become a fairly unremarkable, quiet port and town. During the Sixties, Shoreham was one of the busiest towns in Britain because of its excellent position near London and the north coast of France and, crucially, its two large power stations and gasworks.

In 1968, Shoreham handled nearly three million tonnes of goods and more than 2,700 commercial vessels used it.

But the power stations and the gasworks progressively closed, rail access was cut off, different councils argued over what should happen to the port and opportunities for a revival were lost.

Shoreham stayed largely unattractive, partly disused and quiet for some years. But just before the turn of the century, things started to look up.

Plans for a £50 million tunnel linking the port with the A27 sparked new moves to rejuvenate the whole harbour.

High-flying architect Graham Moss came up with an ambitious masterplan, labelled Shoreham Maritime, in 2000 and described it as one of the most exciting projects of his career.

There are now fears that the plan will never fully come to fruition because of continued setbacks to access improvements for the town.

But huge amounts have already been achieved simply because of the momentum set rolling by the vision.

Ropetackle, a £25 million flagship eco-friendly housing development in Harbour Way, is key to Shoreham's change in fortunes.

First proposed in 1997, it has recently been completed and has been heralded a tremendous success.

Paul Hudson, director of development at the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), said:

"Ropetackle was the first site we bought as a development agency after we formed in 1999 and it has been a tremendous example of what regeneration is all about.

"I knew it would be successful but it has turned into something even better than I imagined. It is a really stunning development which we are really proud of it here at SEEDA.

"We have now got Berkeley Homes, a world class developer, building there and they are always asking when they can build more homes in other parts of Shoreham. It is demonstrating that Shoreham Maritime as a whole can become a reality."

Mr Hudson said the problem of access from the A27 into Shoreham was the only serious obstacle to the town's continued growth.

He said: "We have to get that properly sorted out to see something really substantial.

"It would probably relate to public transport along the seafront as well."

"My ambition for Shoreham is much the same as it is for other coastal towns that it becomes fashionable.

Once that happens places develop their own dynamic.

"You can see signs of that already.

The Brighton effect is extending ever westwards."

Alistair Smith, chief executive of the West Sussex Economic Partnership, said: "Things started to look up for Brighton five or six years ago and has reached a point where it started to spill into Shoreham.

"Ropetackle came along and that started to encourage other developments.

There is already a strong sense of civic amenity and we want to build on that. There are efforts to restore the historic Shoreham Toll Bridge, helped by lottery money.

"All this helps people feel better about where they live and developers like that, and then property prices go up which then makes people feel better again it's a virtuous circle."

Shoreham now has attractions for young professionals who might previously have automatically seen Brighton as the better option. Upmarket Sussex restaurant chain Nia has opened in the High Street along with the Shore Bar and Restaurant in the old Town Hall and Italian eaterie Tosca.

There is a direct train link to London Victoria, nice delis and bakeries, farmers' markets and some clothing boutiques.

But it also has a peaceful charm, with a pretty riverscape, a historic centre with an 11th Century church and lovely period properties in some of the back streets.

James Lancaster, 28, bought a one-bedroom flat in Shoreham with his girlfriend two years ago for £120,000.

It is now worth £150,000.

He said: "We chose Shoreham because it was cheaper than Brighton but now prices are about the same.

"It's a beautiful, charming place, ideal for sexy professionals and yummy mummies."

A pinch of realism should perhaps accompany the rose-tinted vision, however.

There are still areas of deprivation and pubs which see typical drunken violence on a Friday night.

For old-timers David Flavin and Jean Piper, the idea Shoreham is becoming the latest hip destination is somewhat far-fetched.

Mrs Piper, who has sold flowers on the High Street for more than 20 years, said: "Since Ropetackle was built there have been a few more trendy people but it hasn't changed that much and I have been here a long time.

"But I've no problem with that because Shoreham is a wonderful place as it is.

"I love the people down here.

"We could just do with more shops."

Mr Flavin, 59, who has lived in the town for 20 years, said: "I suppose there are more bars and restaurants but in the centre it's still very much a village.

"I can't walk down the street without saying hello to half a dozen people.

"What we do need is less estate agents and more small shops selling everyday things.

"There used to be butchers and a shoe shop and clothes shops but lots of small businesses have been pushed out.

"We haven't even got a paper shop anywhere near the High Street."

Bob Cranmore, chairman of the Shoreham Society, echoed Mrs Piper and Mr Flavin's views.

He said: "We want to make Shoreham an exciting place to shop.

"Hopefully the renaissance will do that.

"But it is difficult as we want to see real improvements without damaging the aspect of the town and nice views, like that of the church.

"If I had the answer I would be a millionaire property developer."

SEEDA's Mr Hudson was positive about the possibilities. He said:

"Places shouldn't lose their character.

"It's all about making the most of opportunities whilst retaining Shoreham's character and sense of place, which is what we hope to achieve.

"Shoreham is quite a special place.

"It could also become a significant centre on the South Coast."

Mr Smith added: "The view for Shoreham is very optimistic."