MPs pledge to aid prosperity

Representatives from the business community along the coastal strip from Shoreham to Chichester tackled issues affecting the region at a meeting with MPs Peter Bottomley (Worthing), Nick Gibb (Littlehampton) and Tim Loughton (Shoreham).

The meeting was organised by Andy Carr, area director for Sussex Enterprise.

Mr Carr said: "The Coastal Business Group consists of representatives from some 35 key organisations in the area and meets every two months to discuss solutions to major issues affecting local businesses.

"A meeting like this gives us a great opportunity to raise our concerns and ideas with local politicians to ensure the ideal environment for a thriving business community is developed and sustained."

David Sheard, managing director of Shoreham-based Hydro Dynamic Products chaired the meeting, which raised a number of key points, including the planned Rolls Royce development in Chichester, improvements to the A27 road link and dealing with the effects of flooding.

The proposed construction of a Rolls Royce assembly plant in the grounds of the Goodwood Estate in Chichester is a project strongly supported by the business community.

It would provide approximately 350 jobs and help to establish the West Sussex coastal strip as a centre for the automotive industry where there is already a significant cluster of firms established.

The MPs and all the organisations agreed to support the project, which is a major inward investment opportunity for the area. Concerns about poor road and rail links in the area were also raised.

Delegates said they were a seen as a barrier to firms coming to the region.

Anthony Dunnett, Chief Executive Seeda (South-East England Development Agency) offered to fund any further economic research on the impact of improving the road system.

The MPs agreed to pressurise the Government and the Environment Agency to approve a long-term plan to cope with severe flooding in the Chichester area.