(Reposted from Adur and Worthing Council website)
Creative and digital start-ups across Worthing could be given a post-COVID jobs boost with the proposed expansion of Colonnade House.
The Worthing Borough Council-owned creative hub has flourished since being opened in 2015. This has continued during the pandemic with gallery space and artistic studios running at close to capacity this year.
Keen to provide even more artists, designers and tech start-ups with a platform to grow, the Council is now looking to push ahead with plans to redevelop and expand the building in Warwick Street.
This will include upgrading the current facilities, installing ultrafast gigabit broadband and creating new studio units for micro-entrepreneurs by bringing back into use two redundant buildings in High Street. Six new homes, a cafe and further meeting and exhibition space could also be created.
Executive councillors, who are set to give approval to push ahead with the plans at a virtual meeting tomorrow (Tuesday, November 3), welcomed the move as part of its wider efforts to support the town bounce back from COVID.
Councillor Kevin Jenkins, Worthing Borough Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, said:
“Worthing has fast become a hotspot for innovative creative and digital industries with dozens of firms taking advantage of our vibrant communities, excellent connections and fantastic way of life.
“A big part of this has been the emergence of Colonnade House which has given local talent a platform to establish and grow while contributing to the wider vitality of the town centre and local economy.
“We want to build on that, creating adaptable, flexible workspaces which are fit for a post-COVID world and giving more opportunities to start-up ‘kitchen table’ businesses. This will create dozens of good-quality skilled jobs for local people while creating a more resilient local economy.”
