Bognor Regis Regeneration Board – 15 years of progress through partnership
Bognor Regis Regeneration Board held its AGM in July, marking 15 years of working in partnership with Bognor Regis stakeholders including Arun District Council, Bognor Regis Town Council, Butlin’s and the Bognor Regis BID. The Board’s activities over the past year have included working as a facilitator, actively engaging local partners through its Town Centre Forum, to develop shared priorities and initiatives which address challenges such as perception, accessibility and improving the town centre experience for residents and visitors. In particular, the Board has led a collaborative approach to the development of a wayfinding strategy for the town centre. Progress on this was shared with members through a presentation from wayfinding consultant Richard Wolfstrome, with a Q&A session yielding positive feedback and shared experiences to ensure the strategy reflects the needs of the town.
The members also expressed their gratitude to outgoing chairman, Raof Daud, who has served since 2019. Jeremy Pardey, Resort Director of Butlin’s commented “Since taking on the challenge of chairing the Bognor Regis Regeneration Board, Raof has added real clarity to its direction and objectives. He has focused on a clear strategy to make a difference in Bognor Regis and to ensure that real progress is made”
Presenting Raof with a one-off piece celebrating progress made since 2007, created by local artist Hope Bullen, the incoming Chair, Cllr David Edwards, stated “As a lifelong resident of Bognor Regis I understand the social and economic challenges our community faces and I’m passionate about driving the town forward to ensure it is a wonderful, welcoming place in which to work, live, study, invest and visit. I’m committed to the values and partnership demonstrated through the Board’s membership and the continuation of the incredible work undertaken by Raof Daud, bringing different stakeholders to the table in collaboration. Working together is key to the delivery of improvements for the town and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to put this into practice, both through my position as a District Councillor and in my new role as Chair of BRRB.”
The Board’s Executive Director, Rebecca White, notes that “since 2007 over £500million has been invested in Bognor Regis, delivering real change in areas such as education, logistics and out of town retail. Going forward, the Board’s focus remains on the town centre and with scheduled or current improvement projects including, among others, those at Place St Maur, the Alexandra Theatre and the Butlin’s resort, the future of Bognor Regis remains dynamic with new initiatives and opportunities emerging all the time. We have always taken a partnership approach, reflected in the rotation of the leadership role between our private and public sector members, and it is our members commitment to this which will build the consensus that is vital for real delivery, reflecting Bognor Regis as a place of ambition, opportunity and progress.”