Left to right, front row: Nick Burrell, WSCC, Adam Stennett, Landbuild, Richard Finn, Landbuild, Cllr Rita Garner, WBC, Cllr Steve Waight, WSCC; top row: Emma Verrinder WSCC, Stephen Reed, WSP, Cllr John Turley, WSCC, Tom Gillham, WSCC.
Worthing residents and visitors to the town are enjoying a more attractive and better-connected approach to Worthing Railway Station, thanks to major investment by West Sussex County Council and Active Travel England.
The improvements to Worthing Railway Approach and Cross Street have been designed to support the town’s economic growth with better and safer walking and cycling routes from the station to the town centre and on to the seafront.
The Railway Approach partnership scheme is part of the Worthing Growth deal, a five-year partnership with West Sussex County Council and Worthing Borough Council. The county council also carried out work on Cross Street, funded by the government’s Active Travel Fund, including:
- widened footways, smoother pavements and new pedestrian crossings
- introduction of contraflow cycling along Cross Street and a section of Railway Approach for cyclists travelling westbound
- a raised crossing and raised table at the Cross Street, Victoria Road, Railway Approach junction to give pedestrians priority at the junction
- new street lighting and CCTV to improve personal safety and enhancements to mobile connectivity.
To reduce disruption and streamline the two projects, the Railway Approach and Cross Street schemes were delivered together.
As well as improving transport connections, a key aspect has been the greening of the area around the station with more outdoor seating for station users. In addition to the existing trees, 16 new trees have been planted with new rain gardens - flower beds that absorb excess water to prevent the road and pavement flooding during heavy rain. The plants include native shrubs, perennials and flowers like Sea Thrift that attract and support local wildlife to boost biodiversity by creating an urban habitat for birds, butterflies, bees and other insects.
Councillor Steve Waight, West Sussex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economic Development, said: “Worthing is a growing, vibrant town that deserves the very best transport connections. Railway Approach and Cross Street have been integral projects within our Council Plan to support the town’s growth and economy. This work makes the space around the station more accessible, sustainable and safe for locals and visitors alike. And it looks great too!”
Throughout the scheme, sustainability was prioritised by the Pulborough-based contractors, Landbuild.
Richard Finn, Director and Operations Manager of Landbuild said: “We have been able to refurbish existing Yorkstone paving slabs outside the station. In addition, 49% of the existing red brick paviours have been reused within the scheme with the other 51% recycled. Tactile paving lifted from outside the station has now been laid on Bognor Regis Esplanade, another county council project. Of the 460 tonnes of old asphalt removed from the area, approximately 80% was recycled. And by using warm asphalt, not hot asphalt, we have been able to reduce carbon emissions by approximately 2.55 tonnes.”
The station has also been enhanced with a newly paved out of hours entrance and plans to repaint the handrails for the steps when the weather improves. The four new colourful mosaic roundels that adorn the entrance were created by Worthing residents at community and local school workshops facilitated by Maud Milton of Artyface Community Art and local ceramics artist, Alice Mara.
Southern's West Coast Area station manager Lauren Heap said: "These improvements to the area around the station are wonderful for everyone travelling to and from our town. We want to encourage more people to take the train and explore many of the great destinations it can take you to - especially with 2025 marking the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. Visitors to Worthing should feel welcome from the moment they step onto our station platforms, and regular commuters should feel proud of the place they call home - these works certainly show off some of the best it has to offer."
The overall work has been funded by contributions from West Sussex County Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership (Coast2Capital). The Railway Approach is a £3 million investment as part of wider £12 million Worthing Public Realm Improvement through the Growth programme. The Department for Transport, via the Active Travel Fund, allocated £0.165 million to the Cross Street works.
