More Than £250,000 Proposed For Refurbishment Of Age Concern Southbourne Building

Plans to release more than £250,000 for the refurbishment of Age Concern Southbourne’s New Road home have been backed by Chichester District Council’s cabinet.

Councillors approved a recommendation to allocate £256,415 in Section 106 funding during a meeting on Tuesday (12 May), with the proposal now set to go before the full council on 19 May.

The funding would help improve the charity’s ageing prefabricated building, which dates back to the period between the two World Wars and is owned by West Sussex County Council.

Section 106 money is provided by developers and ring-fenced for community projects and facilities.

The council has offered the charity a 25-year lease through a Community Asset Transfer, paving the way for major refurbishment works.

Planned improvements include a new roof, upgraded walls, doors and windows, an expanded kitchen, improved toilets, wheelchair access, and updated heating, electrics and fire alarms.

Cabinet member Oona Hickson described the process to reach this stage as “torturous”, adding that the building is an important community asset that “desperately needs to be refurbished”.

The centre currently provides hot lunches for elderly residents every Wednesday, with councillors saying the kitchen improvements are particularly important.

The refurbishment is also expected to help the charity generate additional income by allowing the building to be used more widely throughout the week.

Plans for the site also include improved facilities for Southbourne Men’s Shed, which currently operates from temporary accommodation nearby.