(Reposted from Adur and Worthing Council website)
Homes, flexible work space and a community department store will come together in a landmark development in the heart of Worthing.
Worthing Borough Council has given the green light for St Clair Developments to turn the former Beales department store in South Street into a vibrant multi-use building.
Central to the development is innovative community department store operator 15:17, which is set to open on the ground floor of the premises next week (3rd October 2020).
Alongside typical retail offerings, the retailer is known to include fitness classes, cafés, soft play areas and opticians in a response to the shift in focus on the high street from conventional retail to leisure experiences.
Alongside 15:17 are a series of new smaller units which have been leased to independent traders. The Council also recently approved plans for new flexible live/work units and residential apartments within a redundant storage/office building served off Bank passage as well as 45 new apartments above the former Beales department store.
Cllr Kevin Jenkins, Worthing Borough Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, said:
“Worthing's reputation as a vibrant town where people want to invest continues to grow, as is evident from the work that St Clair are doing to transform the former Beales site.
“This development will not only support the continued regeneration of the town but also support our local economy to continue to bounce back from the COVID-19 lockdown. It will also create flexible space for local businesses, which will make our town centre more resilient to the ongoing change to high streets seen across the country.
“I look forward to working with St Clair moving forward and seeing how the new space develops over time.”
