Four in line-up for trading on Bognor seafront

They will be interviewed on Monday, April 28, by Arun District Council officers to see if they are suitable to take on promenade concessions.

The trading opportunities are set to last for two to three years before the potential changes take place along the seafront under the regeneration proposals of St Modwen.

The successful applicants will be given rolling contracts to reflect the uncertainty about the starting time for the redevelopment.

The final decision about the successful applicants will be made by Cllr Paul Dendle, who is in charge of the district council's finance and central services.

It is expected the concessionaires who are chosen will be able to start operating quickly.

The four major concession sites became available at the end of 2007 when the previous leases ended.

Adverts placed by Arun in the World's Fair newspaper and local papers, such as the Bognor Regis Observer, produced 21 applications.

Of those, 11 came from World's Fair and ten from the local press.

Arun selected the five applicants it believed best met its vision for the seafront.

The criteria used was based upon the quality of an operation and its contribution to the promenade, its suitability to open all year, how much it would attract the public to the seafront and the amount the proposer will pay for the lease.

Four of those on the shortlist submitted detailed proposals on which Monday's presentations and interviews will be based.