A £250,000 scheme to improve roads around a town's busy railway station has been given the green light.

The work at Worthing is designed to improve access for cars, buses and taxi operators.

But a report out today says it will also help halt what it describes as "a general feel of decay to the overall fabric of the area."

Work could start next year if there are no objections during the final consultation stage but West Sussex County Council says there has already been a high level of local support.

The county highways department says the improvements will also help make train and bus travel more attractive.

The main features of the scheme are:

improved bus and taxi stops close to the station forecourt
a new mini-roundabout at the junction of South Farm Road and Teville Road
two new pedestrian crossings on roads close to the station forecourt
landscaping of the station forecourt with new street lighting and paving.

County Hall says the current road system will remain largely unaltered but there will be traffic calming because 20 people have been injured in the area in the last three years.

The scheme has been welcomed by Worthing Borough Council which has offered £6,000 towards the cost of landscaping.

Bus operator Stagecoach and Worthing Taxi Association have backed the scheme and earlier plans to include a one-way section in Clifton Road have been dropped after talks with shopkeepers in the area.

Work is likely to start in May 2002.