AS far as material progress goes, Worthing hasn't had much of a year on which to look back. Major development issues are still undecided, and there remain the forecasts of bleak financial years ahead, whichever party wins the upcoming general election.
True, there are schemes in hand for Splash Point and Denton Gardens, and a design has even been selected for Worthing's new swimming pool.
Yet even with these developments, the waters have been muddied with the floating of the ultra-ambitious Proj
ect Worthing proposals – which would rebuild the Aquarena as a swimming pool and arena for ice-skating, basketball and other leisure activities, plus a major seaward development along the coast between the Aquarena and Lancing.
Again, doubt and uncertainty is threatening to delay still further a decision on vital matters... and as we all know, this time costs money.
It doesn't seem so long ago that the council (and us!) were celebrating the demolition of most of Teville Gate and the promise of a major development on this and on the site of the seafront architectural monstrosity known as the Grafton multi-storey car park.
But the years have rolled by, and Teville Gate is still a puddle-strewn car park, and the decaying Grafton car park continues as an eyesore.
Road travel, too, hasn't progressed much.
A few, mainly cosmetic, traffic management schemes haven't done a great deal to transform drivers' traffic experience, which also hasn't been helped by another year of zealous parking attendants and sky-high charges at the NCP multi-storeys.
And there still remains the over-riding problem of getting the A27 through traffic away from Worthing's urban roads.
We know the current cash squeeze, coupled with reduced income from investments, is making life difficult for local councils.
Council tax payers, however, are getting impatient with the perception that the town is not entering the new century's second decade with as much bounce as it should be.
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