SUNNY WORTHING
 e-NEWS

January 2018  

Welcome to the Town Centre eNewsletter
 
Useful Information for Town Centre Businesses
 
From the Worthing Town Centre Initiative 
 

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!
WE HOPE YOU HAD A SUCESSFUL CHRISTMAS WITH STRONG TRADE
 
The Worthing Town Centre Initiative thought it would be helpful to share some information about footfall and customer trends from this year to help with plans for Christmas 2018.
 
The Late Night Shopping Event on 14th December 2017 was well received and the laser, firewoks and Titan the Robot attracted just over 8,000 people in town from 4pm to 7pm to enjoy the entertainment while they shopped.  Thursday 21st December saw footfall of just over 2,500 people late night shopping which shows that the added attraction of an event brings people into the Town Centre.   
 
Footfall slowly built in the lead up to Christmas but then, in line with normal trends, saw a massive increase the week before Christmas.  Shoppers tend to turn back to the High Street from On-Line close to Christmas as they worry about deliveries arriving in time.  
 
Footfall
 
Week Commencing 3rd December          169,379
Week Commencing 10th December        184,597
Week Commencing 17th December        246,953
 
Normally the busiest hour in Worthing is 2pm on a Saturday but the week before Christmas numbers peaked at 12pm showing shoppers came to Town earlier.
 
After Christmas the footfall dropped to 150,368 but the weather did not help attract people to the sales with wet and windy conditions.  Footfall on Boxing Day was 18,110 which was a 4% increase on 2016; nationally footfall on Boxing Day was down 4.5% so Worthing bucked this trend. 
 

A BOARDS / TABLES & CHAIRS LICENSING
Roll Out of the Scheme from March 2018

Warwick Street Traders are being thanked by Adur & Worthing Councils for the success of the pilot to license Tables & Chairs which has reduced street clutter and improved pedestrian access..
 
Adur & Worthing Councils now plan to roll the scheme out to the rest of the Town from March 2018.  If you want to find out more please CLICK HERE for the Council Press release.
 
Groups including Sight Support, the RNIB, Guide Dogs for the blind and 4 Sight have welcomed the improvements and will be holding an event on Tuesday 9th January in South Street Square from 12pm to 2pm.  
 
Businesses are invited to this event and they will be able to experience what it is like for a blind or visually impaired person to walk along a street.  
 
If you would like to take part in this event and your business included in the roll of honour, that will be circulated to the media, please pop along to South Street Square (near HSBC bank) anytime between 12pm and 2pm on Tuesday 9th January  !!  
 
 

WORTHING TOWN CENTRE PUBLIC REALM IMPROVEMENTS
CONSULTATION

Its an exciting time in Worthing with West Sussex County Council unveiling its grand vision to create a 'continental-style' boulevard in Worthing Town Centre.

The proposals, which also include pedestrianising some areas, focus on key routes and connections from the railway station to the seafront, such as the station approach, Portland Road and South Street.
The plans form part of a 'Growth Deal' agreed by West Sussex County Council and Worthing Borough Council at the end of last year. The deal sets out a joint pledge to work in partnership on a number of key projects to deliver regeneration and growth in the area during the next five years.
The improvements will help to connect and enhance six key redevelopment sites in the town (Teville Gate Site, Union Place Site, Grafton Site, Stagecoach Site, Aquarena Site, and the Civic Site) through a series of 'public realm' improvements.
The plans will be on display at Worthing Library between Tuesday 2nd January and Friday 12th January 2018. There will also be a public drop-in session on Friday 5th January 2018 from 1pm to 6pm at the library where members of the public will have a chance to ask questions and provide comments on the initial concepts.
CLICK HERE for more information on the West Sussex County Council website

2018 EVENTS

The TCI team are busy organising the Town Centre Events for 2018.  This year we will be trialling some Craft Markets in Montague Street over weekends in June, August, October and November.  These markets will be brought to you by the team that run the Chichester Christmas Market and the extremely popular craft events at Lancing College.

We will also be developing the Chilli Fiesta that launched in 2017 and be funding some great entertainment for the Saturdays during the summer including Elvis, Rat Pack, 80's and Crafting. 

We now have the dates set for the TCI events but are waiting confirmation from organisations such as the Lions and Rotary for their Town Centre activities.  We will have as many of the key event dates in our Feb Newsletter to help with your plans.
 

The Worthing Town Centre Initiative
12 The Steyne
Worthing
West Sussex BN11 3DS

Telephone 01903 203252