Teville Gate, Worthing
The future of Teville Gate
Work to bring Teville Gate back to life is planned to begin this summer.
Teville Gate is a key development site in Worthing and has been barren since 2018 following the demolition of the multi-storey car park and adjacent buildings, which were an eyesore and an unattractive welcome into our town centre.
After several years of waiting for an appropriate plan for us and our citizens, we were pleased to announce in March that we have agreed a deal worth £5.1m with Homes England, which will see around 250 much-needed homes built on the land.
We have chosen to partner with Homes England as it shares our vision to create a vibrant, sustainable community hub that features high-quality and genuinely affordable homes for local people.
The housing development will also feature well-designed open spaces and provide better opportunities for citizens to get around both actively and sustainability on foot or by bike.
Construction is expected to begin in two to three years, so in the interim Homes England will begin drafting development plans, securing planning permission, appointing developers and preparing the site for building work.
We want to make the best use of the site in the meantime, and hope to build a temporary car park on part of the land to provide more town centre parking in the short term. More details will be shared on the project soon.
Video: Cllr Dr Beccy Cooper - Worthing Borough Council agrees deal with Homes England for Teville Gate (filmed in Spring 2024)
Photo: The Teville Gate site - aerial photo looking south-east towards the sea
The recent history of Teville Gate
From the 1960s, Teville Gate was home to a host of retail units, office blocks and a multi-storey car park.
Although the space was well visited for a number of years, Teville Gate eventually became rundown and abandoned, other than the decaying car park which was still being used by visitors to Worthing's town centre.
The site didn't stand the test of time aesthetically either, and was declared an eyesore by locals and visitors to the town.
In the 2000s it was agreed by all parties, including the then owner Mosaic, that Teville Gate had reached the end of its life and needed to be redeveloped into a modern space which would bring commercial or residential benefits to the town.
Photo: The Teville Gate multi storey car park
By the 2010s, the multi-storey car park, which we were operating on a lease basis, had also become increasingly expensive to maintain. In 2017, it was estimated that the car park required an investment of £2 million over the next four years to keep it open.
The landowner, Mosaic, had been working on plans to redevelop Teville Gate for over a decade by this time, so in a bid to speed up the transformation of the site we offered to demolish the multi-storey car park to help prepare the site for development.
Mosaic accepted our offer, and not long after submitted a planning application of its own to clear the rest of the site. By March 2018 the demolition process had begun.
Our demolition of the multi-storey car park was funded by the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership as part of its Local Growth Fund, using government money.
Photo: The Teville Gate multi storey car park being demolished
By June 2018, the demolition of Teville Gate was complete. Once the site had been cleared, we turned a small section of land into a temporary car park to make use of the space while the private owner Mosaic brought forward a proposal for the plot it called 'Station Square'.
Photo: The Teville Gate site - after demolition
In May 2019, contractors began demolishing Teville Gate House, the old office block in Railway Approach, to make way for a new, modern office space which would be owned and occupied by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
By 2021 the project was complete and HMRC moved into its new home, which became one of its five specialist sites across the UK.
The Teville Gate House site was, and remains, separately owned to the larger Teville Gate site, hence it being individually developed.
Photo: The Teville Gate site - HMRC building and railway (image credit CDA Group Architects)
Following a series of planned developments that never happened, we purchased Teville Gate in 2021 to drive forward the regeneration of the key town centre site.
Photo: The Teville Gate site - viewed from Teville Road, Worthing
While waiting for appropriate development offers for Teville Gate, we installed a new pathway down the middle of the site to provide a quicker route for pedestrians between the train station and the town centre while the site is vacant. As part of this, new fencing and a series of larger planters were also installed.
Photo: The Teville Gate site - aerial photo showing the new pathway across the site, new fencing and series of larger planters
In March 2024, we were pleased to announce that a deal worth £5.1m had been agreed with Homes England, which will see around 250 much-needed homes built on the land.
Following its purchase, the government's housing and regeneration agency will work up high-quality proposals for the site that reflect its prominent location in Worthing.
Homes England agreed to purchase the site immediately so it can begin drafting its plans and preparing the site for building work. The agency has also handed us back the site in the meantime so it can be used by a local business or community group and not sit empty.
Teville Gate will be the first site in the South to be delivered using Homes England's Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund (BIL), which was launched in 2023.
Photo: The Teville Gate site - aerial photo looking south towards the sea (image credit Homes England)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about our deal with Homes England
Q: How many homes will be built at Teville Gate?
A: It is expected that around 250 homes will be built on the land at Teville Gate. This is subject to a detailed planning application and viability studies that Homes England, as owners of the site, will start to develop.
Q: Will the homes be affordable and go to local people?
A: Across all our major sites in Worthing, our ambition remains to create sustainable, high-quality and genuinely affordable homes for our residents. We decided to work with Homes England as the housing agency wants to help make these plans a reality.
Q: What else will be included in the plans for Teville Gate?
A: We expect to work in partnership with Homes England to influence the design of their site. Our ambitions remain that developments across Worthing should feature access to green spaces and create new commercial / employment opportunities where viable.
Q: When can we expect construction to begin?
A: It's hoped that contractors will arrive on site to begin construction within three years.
Q: When can we see Homes England's plans for Teville Gate?
A: Homes England will begin drafting high-quality proposals for Teville Gate now its purchase of the site is officially complete.
Q: How large is the Teville Gate site?
A: The Teville Gate site covers about 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres) - the same as almost two full-sized football pitches.
Q: What will happen to Teville Gate House?
A: Teville Gate House, which was redeveloped in 2021, is owned and occupied by HM Revenue and Customs and will not be affected by the redevelopment of the larger Teville Gate site.
Q: What will happen to the temporary car park at Teville Gate?
A: The temporary car park, which is commonly used by HMRC staff, will remain open for the next three years, providing an estimated £300,000 of income to us over that period.
Q: How will the site be used in the meantime?
A: We hope to create a temporary car park at Teville Gate while Homes England develops its plans. This is due to a number of active projects that will affect the number of parking spaces in the town.
Progress updates
August 2024:
We hope to use part of Teville Gate as a car park in the short term while Homes England develops its plans to build around 250 much-needed new homes on the land.
The development of the temporary parking area will be funded by Hemiko, which is leading on our pioneering scheme to deliver a low-carbon heat network for Worthing.
Earlier this summer we agreed a deal with Hemiko for it to occupy half of the vacant Teville Gate site during the heat network's construction. As part of this, Hemiko is helping us prepare the other half of the site for temporary use.
We hope to transform the space into a temporary car park to meet the short-term need for more parking in the town. This is due to a number of active projects, including upcoming improvement work on some of our multi-storey car parks that will affect the number of parking spaces in the town.
We'll provide more information on the proposed new car park soon.
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Page last updated: 18 September 2024