Consultation over plans for Teville Gate delayed...again

Owners Mosaique outlined the intention in a December statement – the first time the developer had spoken out since purchasing the site in 2015.

Worthing Borough Council was left to confirm the timetable had slipped to ‘spring’ this week after no further details were released by the developer.

The delay comes shortly after the council announced it had secured millions of pounds of government funding, which it hopes would help unlock long-awaited development.

A spokesman said: “We are urging the developer to progress their designs and engage with local residents as soon as possible.

“(The funding) gives us confidence that the council is in a strong position to work with the developer and bring forward much needed regeneration at Teville Gate.”

A statement from Mosaique when it purchased the site in July, 2015, pledged to hold public consultation and submit a planning application later that year.

The Herald has not received a reply to numerous attempts to contact Mosaique director Aized Sheikh.

Council leader Dan Humphreys said it made sense for the developers to consider the implications of the funding news.

But Labour’s Jim Deen said it was ‘back to business as usual’ after the council had hailed the £5.69million Local Growth Fund boost for town centre sites.

He said it was time for residents to ‘get angry’ about the inaction and believed the council was to blame for allowing the delays to continue.

Mr Humphreys claimed Labour’s remarks were a ‘desperate pre-election criticism’.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Bob Smytherman called on the council to use the funding to demolish the site as a priority to show the council was committed to action, using the space in the short-term to generate extra parking.

UKIP’s Susan Jelliss said the delay was ‘to be expected’.

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