1 Overview
Chichester city presents a significant growth opportunity in terms of regeneration and redevelopment. The Chichester Growth Deal has been agreed to ensure identified development and growth opportunities are delivered in a cohesive and holistic way, maximising economic growth outcomes.
West Sussex County Council (WSCC) and Chichester District Council (CDC) have entered into a strategic partnership through the Chichester Place Plan and the subsequent Chichester Growth Deal to deliver sustainable growth and provide opportunities for new homes, new commercial and retail floor space within the city, preserving existing jobs and creating new high value employment opportunities.
The deal focuses on progressing specific projects through effective partnerships with a range of stakeholders in order to support economic growth opportunities that are aligned with the delivery of the projects and priorities contained within the Chichester Vision that will support and promote investment within the city.
As we rebuild our economy from the impact of Covid-19, we need to consider the changing needs of society. This offers new opportunities for service collaboration across public sector partners and the potential for future models of service delivery, to make better use of digital technology and flexible working across sectors.
Post Covid-19, there will be more focus on working more efficiently where resources are scarce. Working in partnership will lead to greater opportunities for collaboration through shared spaces, joined up services and released surplus land and assets, which in turn will promote lower carbon solutions and new economic activity.
A refreshed growth deal that prioritises investment in growth activities based on shared principles is being developed by CDC and WSCC. The refreshed deal will encourage sustainable growth through the coordination of effort and resource and seek the optimum economic outcomes for the residents of Chichester.
2 Priorities
Delivering the Chichester Vision
The Chichester Vision supports wider economic growth strategies for the city through a range of linked projects that promote inward investment and stimulate economic growth by making the most of the its heritage and culture, while also adapting to meet the evolving needs of residents, workers, visitors and students.
The involvement of West Sussex County Council (WSCC) within the Chichester Vision is diverse, with a key focus on projects that can provide improved transport connectivity and public realm promoting a high quality, accessible centre delivering economic growth including the Southern Gateway, Northern Gateway and other city centre improvements.
Delivering growth at Southern Gateway
The Southern Gateway is led by Chichester District Council (CDC), who have secured £5m Local Government funding to support the delivery of the Southern Gateway, which comprises land parcels predominantly under the control of CDC and WSCC to be progressed in line with the development aspirations of the Southern Gateway Masterplan for a diverse and vibrant Southern Gateway in Chichester.
The Southern Gateway Masterplan was approved by CDC as supplementary planning guidance in 2017. The project offers a substantial mixed use regeneration opportunity in the heart of Chichester to transform an approximate 30 acre, largely brownfield area, into a lively and exciting new quarter of exceptional quality. The opportunity will contribute to delivery of the Chichester Vision themes of living, working and visiting and will provide:
- up to 365 residential dwellings including affordable homes
- 21,000sqm of commercial floorspace including leisure and retail
- public realm and connectivity improvements
- securing associated economic benefits to this part of the city.
The County Council are working in partnership with CDC to support the delivery and land assembly for the Southern Gateway and have been working to appoint a Development Partner to progress the planning and delivery of the largest regeneration project that the city has seen for decades.
The Southern Gateway Project is part of the One Public Estate (OPE) West Sussex programme, which seeks to secure effective and efficient use of public sector buildings.
Delivering growth at Northern Gateway
Located at the northern fringe of the city centre, the Northgate gyratory is a ring-road gyratory that encloses approximately 2 acres of land accommodating the West Sussex Fire & Rescue station, Metro House office accommodation and a collection of Grade II listed properties.
The Northern Gateway would see partners including the County Council and CDC work together to develop and implement proposals that support the efficient, effective, economical and sustainable development of the Northern Gateway site to maximise economic benefit and improve connectivity in this part of the city.
The Chichester Sustainable Transport Package and Chichester Vision Study have identified the opportunity for junction and highways improvements to the Northgate gyratory in the context of the Chichester Growth Deal and the Chichester Vision, with further work being undertaken to develop and test options.
The opportunity the regeneration of the land, including opportunities for the Fire & Rescue station are also part of the One Public Estate (OPE) West Sussex programme.
West Sussex Gigabit fibre broadband
The County Council and district and borough councils, including CDC, are working together with central government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to build and facilitate ultrafast broadband infrastructure in West Sussex.
West Sussex Gigabit is in delivery and will deliver digitally connected public services to ensure the public sector meets the future need of public services and provides the infrastructure to support improved commercial and residential connectivity within the county.
The infrastructure will connect key urban locations at buildings owned and operated by the public sector with the potential to cascade to other public services such as schools, NHS and emergency services and facilitate wider connectivity within West Sussex and its rural areas via the Gigabit Broadband voucher scheme.