The loss of a car park would decimate trade in a traffic-choked town centre, business leaders have warned.

Traders are lobbying Adur District Council to drop plans to sell the 90 space all-day car park in South Street, Lancing, and say there are already too few places where people can park.

Rob McBain, of Computerised Quantity Surveying Services, has rented an office near the car park since July 2000.

He said: "It's just a diabolical liberty. Everybody's really angry. It seems the officers at Adur talk about consulting people but they can do what they like. I haven't been sent anything about the council selling off the car park and neither have any of the other business people I've spoken to."

He said all seven of his employees use the car park as his offices don't have off-street parking and people visiting St Michael and All Angels Church also parked there.

He said: "There are other car parks in Lancing but you can only stay for a few hours and they are too far away. When new clients come to my office they have to bring three or four A3-size boxes of documents, so they need somewhere close to park.

"If it goes I'll have to consider moving to new offices, which would cost a lot of money."

Sussex Enterprise, representing the business community, is calling for the council to halt the sale.

Adur representative Carol Adams-Kirkham said parking was already limited and there were plans for extra double-yellow lines in Lancing town centre.

She said: "The closure of this car park could be devastating for businesses in central Lancing. Not only would business people have nowhere to park or unload their goods but the absence of an adequate car park would deter visitors from shopping in Lancing.

"We're looking for a guarantee that this land will continue to be used as a car park."

A council spokeswoman said: "So far we are just inviting expressions of interest, we'll see how it goes from there. There are no guarantees it will remain a car park.

"That car park is very poorly used and is running at a loss of about £5,000 per year. We are just looking to make the best use of the assets we have got."

Thursday, March 16, 2006