Work on Bognor's Sunken Gardens to begin in January

The project is expected to take around four months to complete, and improvements will include new play equipment, safety surfacing, a southern entrance and refurbishment of planting and seating.

A previous time frame anticipated that the work would be done by September this year.

Blakedown Landscapes LSE have been appointed as the contractor, and their portfolio includes work on the Natural History Museum and the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. A spokesperson said ‘the project aims to enhance the quality of the gardens and encourage more visitors.’

"The contractors will access the site from Hothamton car park and will have a small compound located north of the play area,” they added. “The early works will require the whole site to be closed to the public, but as different areas are completed, they will be reopened.”

This week’s announcement comes after several debates about the scheduled improvements within Arun District Council. The project’s total budget comes in at £500,000 but the currently scheduled works should only cost £312,000, prompting Cllr Matt Stanley to condemn what he called ‘a self-imposed budget cut’ at a council meeting back in November.

His comments were not supported, however, and the committee opted to proceed with the plans. Fellow councillor David Edwards (Con) said he wanted to avoid writing a blank cheque before pointing out that current plans were well-received by residents during the public consultation held earlier this year.

A full plan of the schemes can be found online .

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Transformation of Bognor Regis' Sunken Gardens set to start in early 2023