FOUR thousand worried residents have been reassured they will not lose their beach.

People living in Shoreham and Southwick feared that proposals for a new-look harbour would mean they would lose their beach at Southwick.

But Martin King, deputy leader of Adur District Council which owns the beach, said: "If the council wants to keep the beach it will keep the beach.

"Adur Council will be keeping it for people as a leisure use.

"The whole of the community has been fighting this campaign and it is not a party political issue. People shouldn't be scaremongering and saying that it could be taken away."

Controversy raged when it was suggested that the beach may be lost in the developments outlined in ambitious harbour plans for a 21st century venue for trade, industry, leisure and waterfront housing.

London-based Moss Environmental and Development Planning's vision for the future of the harbour is currently out for consultation.

Part of the consultation document suggests the beach may be relocated and access removed.

A4,000-name petition has been handed to Adur councillors objecting to any idea of the beach being taken for development.

Planning chief Dereck Wade said: "I think residents in general are in support of the harbour regeneration but are worried about specific ideas in the consultation documents.

"Most locals are saying that they don't want the beach moved at all. There is likely to be some sort of compromise on this. It's also a question of if moving the beach were to be an option where would it be moved to?"

Some 14,000 leaflets on the future of Shoreham Maritime, the name for the proposed harbour development, were distributed to residents.

Coun King added: "I put forward a proposal that was agreed three weeks ago by the policy and resources committee and ratified by the full council last night. This confirmed that Adur Council would be keeping the beach, its toilets, the beach huts cafe, everything on it."

The consultation period has now been extended to December 11.

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