A NEW water sports venue and cafe are to open along a seafront creating

22 new jobs.

The venue will be located in Littlehampton opposite the Skate Park where the promenade shelter is currently situated.

It will offer kite surfing and stand-up paddle boarding lessons as well as on-site amenities such as toilets, showers, shelter and cycle racks.

Jamie Hawkins, owner of Coastal Coffee, has won the contract.

He has many years experience in operating food and drink outlets and is also a former professional windsurfer who won the world championships

three times.

He said: “This has been a dream of mine for many years.

“The facility, which is yet to be named, will fill an important gap in the market, linking the venue to the main visitor seafront and the new leisure centre and Mewsbrook Park, making this area of seafront more appealing.

“The water sport aspect of the business will enable me to give something back to the community and is a great way of sharing my passion and knowledge of water sports I have practised over the years.”

He will be investing £500k into the facility and creating ten full-time jobs and 12 part-time jobs.

He said: “The venue will offer a wide selection of food and drinks for both the local community and visitors to enjoy and we are delighted to be working with Arun District Council on making this concept a reality.”

Councillor Mrs Gillian Brown, leader of Arun District Council, said: “The facility will provide an enjoyable environment to eat and drink and to capture the views out to sea.

“There are limited facilities to support water based activities on the seafront and I am sure the venue will quickly become a popular and well-established water sports destination.”

Construction will start early next year and it will take at least six months to complete.

The plans were given the approval of the development control committee.