'Regeneration could ruin us''“ cafe owners

Ray and Beverley Lester have run Heather's Cafe in the Place St Maur for nine months.

The business is about 50 yards from the Regis Centre which is set to be demolished on the opposite side of the Place.

Mr Lester said: "We can see the benefit of the regeneration schemes. But our concern is that we may not be there at the end of the two years of work. Our business relies on people coming out of Butlins, walking along the seafront and through the Place to the town centre.

"When the Place becomes a large-scale building site, our business will be dramatically affected. We don't know if there is going to be any sort of walkway in front of our business while the work is going on." He called on Arun District Council to provide compensation for the likely loss of trade.

Mrs Lester commented: "A lot of our business comes from people sitting outside enjoying the sunshine. But they won't be able to do that when the building work is going on. There will be too much brick dust going around for that.

"If they did still sit outside, I'm sure we will be stopping from allowing it by Arun District Council's environmental health officers."

Mr and Mrs Lester have a five-year lease from the district council. This takes them into the middle of the predicted regeneration timescale. It is expected by developer St Modwen Properties that the 100m-worth of development will be completed between 2013 and 2016.

They voiced their concerns at a regeneration seminar hosted by the University of Chichester under the Business Futures heading and organised by principal lecturer Dr Andrew Clegg.

The Bognor Regis regeneration task force's co-ordinator Richard McMann said it was accepted that the major programme of works on the Regis Centre and Hothamton sites would have an impact on the town centre.

St Modwen would be expected to sign up to the considerate contractor scheme.

But he admitted: "This type of development is not going to go ahead without some disruption and some disturbance. I don't believe that anybody thinks that massive level of investment can be done overnight."

He called on Bognor businesses to grab the opportunities presented by the building works to boost their trade. They would have an army of 500 workmen in the town for several years.

He suggested that Mr and Mrs Lester might make up for their loss of normal trade by seeking to sell snacks and drinks to the workers with some special deals.

"I know of at least two companies who have approached St Modwen to talk to them about what they can do for them while they are in Bognor," he added.