Fishermen help council to plan rotunda revamp

Work to transform an unused rotunda in West Sussex will start on Monday after plans were drawn up with the help of local fishermen.

The rotunda at Windsor Lawns was boarded up in 2021 because of anti-social behaviour.

Worthing Borough Council has drawn up plans for a new facility, following conversations with Worthing Fishermen's Society.

It will include a cold storage facility that is expected to increase the shelf life of the local catch and is due to be completed in the spring.

More than £88,000 has been secured to fund the work, which will also feature a community notice board, ice machine and sales area.

Councillor Vicki Wells, Worthing's cabinet member for environmental services, said it was "fantastic" news.

"I really hope the facility can become a landmark for the town's fishermen and will lead to an increase in buying local and enjoying the highly sustainable fish caught just off our coastline," she said.

The plans, designed by Worthing-based business Julian Church & Associates Ltd, were approved by the council's planning committee last October.

Funders include the Marine Management Organisation, a public body of the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and Sussex Bay - a movement committed to regenerating 100 miles of local coastline and rivers.

Marine conservation charity Sea-Changers has provided additional funding alongside the council's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Neighbourhood Fund.

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