New flats planned above Worthing town centre's H&M store in Montague Street

The site, at 31-35 Montague Street, which houses fashion store H&M, was recently sold for nearly £1 million, according to Henshall and Partners real estate’s website.

Planning permission was granted in 2021 for a change of use for the second and third floors from retail to residential, with a third floor roof extension and fourth storey addition to accommodate 14 flats in total.

Now a new application would see six new flats and two extra stories built above the eastern part of the roof of the Montague Street building, which fronts Bath Place.

The proposed development will be car free, as no extra parking is included in the plan for residents, only a minimum of ten cycle storage spaces.

The application says: “The car-free nature of the development, coupled with the parking restrictions currently in place and the accessibility to public transport facilities and local amenities, means that residents would not need to rely on the use of a car for day-to-day journeys and consequently would be highly unlikely to own a car if no parking is available.

“All streets bordering the site form a part of a wider pedestrian zone where vehicular access is restricted at all times, other than for loading outside of the hours of 10:00 to 16:00 hrs.

“The number of residents choosing to own a car is therefore not considered to be statistically significant and the parking demands of the development will thus be insignificant.”

Visit https://planning.adur-worthing.gov.uk/online-applications/ and use code AWDM/0856/23 to view the application.