Union Gardens in Union Place, Worthing

We're transforming Union Place. Welcome to Union Gardens.

We're thrilled to be redeveloping Union Place, unlocking a site that has been dormant for years by creating a new sustainable community to be called Union Gardens.

We've partnered with Worthing home builder Roffey Homes to share the cost (and the profits) of the project - utilising its years of development expertise in the area to ensure the project is a success.

Union Gardens will not just be a place to live but a community to thrive in. We'll build 216 highly-sustainable flats, with residents' gardens, a pocket park and potentially also a community cafe - plus a 236-space car park that will offer convenient access while preserving the look and feel of the landscape.

Designed with direct input from our community, this initiative has been shaped by a series of events organised by Roffey. These gatherings have enabled residents to directly influence the future of their community.

This is an exciting £70m project that will bring new life to our town centre.

The history of the site

The Union Gardens site is just over a hectare in an area - about one and a half times the size of Brighton & Hove Albion's pitch at the Amex. It runs from High Street in the east to the wall of the Connaught cinema in the west.

The most easterly section is currently the small High Street 47-space car park run by the council.

The next piece is the former site of Worthing police station. The brick building that stood there was opened in 1939 but closed in the early 2000s after the new station in Chatsworth Road was built.

The old building became derelict before it was finally demolished in 2009. The land then sat barren for almost 15 years.

The police station was bought by developers, but a project did not get off the ground. Instead in 2018 the council bought the land using funding from the government's Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership to push forward the regeneration of the area.

The western section of the Union Gardens site runs to the edge of the Connaught cinema and is currently home to a 182-space car park owned by the council since 2017 but run by NCP.

Our plans for Union Place

We have secured planning permission for a high-quality, sustainable development in Union Place.

We share a vision with Roffey of an architectural approach that reinvigorates the look of High Street and Union Place whilst respecting St Paul's church and other historic buildings nearby.

Union Gardens will be a multi-generational development, where young families, first-time buyers and older residents live alongside each other and share the gardens and other facilities.

It will range from 4 to 11 storeys in height. Current plans aim to provide mixed tenure housing and include 104 one-bedroom flats, 100 two-bedroom flats, 12 three-bedroom flats and commercial space on the ground floor at High Street.

The homes and gardens will sit on top of a 236-space car park, of which 90 of the spaces will be for the residents and 146 available for visitors to the town centre. There will also be space for more than 120 bikes to be parked.

The lime tree on the corner of Union Place and High Street will be retained while new trees will also be planted to line both roads.

Each building in the development will be highly sustainable, being either connected to the Worthing heat network or using exhaust air heat pumps to ensure low carbon emissions. The homes will also be designed to include extra insulation, underfloor heating and to use less water than traditional homes.

Timeline

• March 2024: Planning approval for Union Gardens secured
• Summer 2024: Roffey begins preparatory work on site
• Early 2025: Full construction begins
• Spring 2027: The first residents move into their new homes
• Spring 2028: Construction is complete

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Why is the council partnering with Roffey for the project?

Union Gardens is a major construction project - one of the largest and most sustainable Worthing has ever seen. Roffey Homes has experience not only in developing large-scale sustainable housing schemes but also of working on projects in the borough. Roffey's vision for Union Gardens is a match for ours - a high-quality, sustainable development featuring the homes we need and architecture that works closely with our town's heritage.

The apartments themselves have been meticulously designed, with sustainability and living costs in mind. The new residents will find that the buildings have environmentally-friendly heating systems, underfloor heating, low water usage and biodiverse roofs.

How is the project being funded?

We are providing the land to be developed and Roffey is putting in the same amount of investment to match this value. We will then jointly borrow any further amounts needed to complete the project.

Why has the name Union Gardens been chosen?

The development primarily fronts onto Union Place and, with the inclusion of residents' gardens within the scheme, this seems an appropriate name.

When will the High Street surface car park and Union Place car park close?

Early 2025.

When will the new Union Place car park open?

Spring 2027.

Where will the entrance and exit to the new car park be?

Access for residents will be via Chatsworth Road and for visitors via Union Place.

How many parking spaces will there be at Union Gardens?

236 - as well as space for more than 120 bikes to be parked.

The plans include the creation of six 'live/work units' in Union Place. What are they?

These are split level homes allowing for working/retail to take place on the ground floor with the owners' accommodation on the first floor.

What will go in the new commercial units in High Street?

These units are primarily designed to be office space and are expected to attract local businesses to operate from. Alongside this, it is hoped that a new café will also occupy some of the space with access to a newly formed pocket park.

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