Worthing’s former Aquarena Leisure centre has recently been taken under formal ownership by developers Roffey Homes, with a £45 million redevelopment plan in the works. Granted by the Worthing and Adur county council earlier this year, the redevelopment plan will involve the construction of 141 homes, a café and commercial space, spread across a staggering 15-storey building. Set to be one of the most ambitious projects Worthing has seen in recent years, the redevelopment conducted by Roffey homes looks to be a truly fascinating, but also controversial undertaking.

Councillor Dan Humphreys of Worthing Borough council said: “This is a big step forward in the development of the town… I’m confident that Roffey homes will soon start work on delivering a new commercial space that compliments a thriving seafront area.” It is an exciting opportunity to see Worthing receive a new housing complex, and artist’s impressions of the future project depict a highly populated spectacle that is incorporated well with the seafront setting.

However, many members of Worthing’s populous are unhappy with the development going ahead at all. One member of the public said: “It’s certainly a good idea to build new homes in the town, but a 15-storey building will stand out in the environment-we have nothing even remotely of that scale, and I want to make sure that they have the appropriate infrastructure to accommodate that many homes. A build of this size could be seen as a way of ‘ghetto-ising’ people.” The structure of this build has also rendered the Aquarena car park useless to the public, likely causing issues along roads and in other areas. Many Worthing citizens will need to wait to see what the future has in store for the seafront promenade. 

Charlie Middleton-Ashdown

Worthing High school