Edburton Contractors has been appointed to work on a £3.4 million project to improve Littlehampton High Street and Beach Road.

The work is expected to begin on January 2022.

Councillors at Arun District and Littlehampton Town Councils agreed to formally appoint the firm to carry out the works and order construction materials, some of which currently have a 20-week delivery time.

The works represent the first two phases of an overall £6 million, five phase town centre public realm improvement scheme and covers the pedestrianised High Street (including Duke Street, St Martin's Lane and Clifton Road), a stretch of East Street and Beach Road.

Designed to make Littlehampton town centre a more attractive and welcoming place to work, visit, socialise and spend time, the works will include:

• Updating road layouts and traffic flow to give pedestrians priority and make the most of public open spaces.

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• Resurfacing existing pavements, roads and pedestrianised areas to create a higher-quality attractive, more unique look for the town centre.

• Planting additional trees and greenery, replacing existing benches and seating, new public art and street furniture to open sight lines and make the town centre a more enjoyable place to visit and spend time.

• Updating and replacing signage making it easier for shoppers and visitors to navigate their way around the town centre on foot.

• Contributing to the overall strategic regeneration plans for Littlehampton, including improving links between the town centre, riverside and seafront.

Members also agreed to retain the lime tree outside the Arcade and were informed there are no plans to remove any of the other existing trees as part of the improvement works.

Councillor Andy Cooper, Chair of Arun's Economy Committee said: "We are keen to complete the planned improvements to Littlehampton town centre as soon as possible. However, like the rest of the country, the project is affected by the shortage of construction materials and the earliest possible start date would be too close to the Christmas trading period.

"After such a difficult 18 months, our fantastic local traders need as much support as we can provide to bounce back and this includes helping them to maximise sales and footfall in the crucial run up to Christmas."

Funding of £3.5 million for the first two phases has come from the Government's Coastal Communities Fund (£2.45M) Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership Local Growth Fund (£564,000) and £200,000 from both Arun District Council and Littlehampton Town Council.