Grafton Closure Could Be Extended

An urgent measure to address the closure of Grafton Street MSCP is set to be considered next week.

Members of Worthing Borough Council will be asked to consider a report on the condition of the Grafton Street multi-storey car park at a joint cabinet meeting on Tuesday, June 3, following its closure.

The MSCP was closed with immediate effect on Friday, May 16, due to ‘public safety’

concerns, according to a report to be presented at the meeting on Tuesday.

The cabinet will be asked to authorise the continued closure of the MSCP for public safety reasons, and will consider approving a report to come back to them in July about the future of regeneration on the site.

They will also be asked to note the initial closure and the progress made by officers so far.

In a note requested by Worthing Borough Council from HOP Consulting Civil and Structural Engineers after the closure, HOP supported the closure of the MSCP until further notice.

They said:

“Our note outlines that there are risks of failing/falling parts of the structure that threaten the safety of the public, users of the car park and is dangerous. Hence, we agree it is appropriate to close the whole of the car park for urgent investigation and review.”

“The resulting overhead debris risk has been ‘managed’ for several years by monitoring. It is evident that the monitoring approach is becoming increasingly unreliable at pre-empting overhead debris detachment.

“The frequency and severity of defects should be expected to increase with time also. A change to the management approach is now considered reasonably appropriate under the circumstances.

“Management options might entail providing some form of protection until appropriate repairs are undertaken, this is likely to involve a significant capital repair regime.”

The note also says other areas, such as pedestrian bridges linking Montague Street and external areas of Grafton Street MSCP, should be considered to be closed in order to mitigate risk.

In the report to be heard on Tuesday, it said £1.2million had been spent in 2018/19 to keep the park open and maintained, with a further £941,000 spent between 2019/2020 and 2024/25.

It said the council’s medium term financial plan assumed a closure of the park over 2026/27 with a reduction in the annual net budget of £210,000.

The report also stated the car park is formed from a concrete encased steel frame supporting precast, prestressed High Alumina Cement (HAC) beams, and is over 60 years old.

It said what made the closure urgent was the failure of an HAC beam not recognised as ‘at risk’ following regular inspections, which caused a roughly 30-60kg ‘considerable section’ of concrete to crack away and fall to the level below it.

Some of the HAC beams have suffered weather exposure and are in poor condition, whilst some concrete beams in the car park are failing due to age and their ‘exposed seafront location’, the report said.

It added a section of the park had been found ‘visibly degraded’ over time, with the bays in that section being closed off to the public.

Nearby shops, including the bowling alley and Level 1, will be unaffected by the failings, with the council saying they also plan to work with Marks and Spencer to further mitigate damage around its delivery service road.

It said the council had been conducting structural surveys of the MSCP every six months, as part of its plans to regenerate the site, with plans to sell it to developers approved in November 2023.

Council officers said they would continue to engage with local businesses over the planned closure of High Street between June 23 and July 4, due to required works for the district heat network.

The meeting is due to be held at 6.30 pm at the Gordon Room, Worthing Town Hall, and can be listened to online via the webcast at https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?MId=2202&x=1.