It has been a difficult week for businesses and staff trying to navigate the local road network to access the park.

Damian Pulford, Chairman of Lancing Business Park BID (LBP) and MD of Sussex Transport would like to thank West Sussex Highways for working with LBP and the lighting contractor, Telent to implement traffic flow improvements to the roadworks permit on the A259 at Western Road Lancing.

“LBP appreciate these lighting improvements are essential to keep traffic flowing effectively on the A259 for years to come and that disruption was inevitable to enable these works to take place. Unfortunately, the impact of these works combined with unavoidable works on the A27, and utility works in Sompting Village, South Street and Grinstead Lane, have hit businesses hard as traffic flows ground to halt across Adur and Worthing.

LBP are therefore very grateful that West Sussex Highways understands the impact this has on businesses, staff and residents in the area and therefore have been proactively working to expedite these works ahead of the original 25^th October completion date. LBP are pleased to confirm that as the lighting groundworks are now complete, a new plan has been agreed and implemented to help relieve traffic congestion across the area, enabling two lanes in all directions to now function at the junction.

Additional temporary equipment has been quickly installed to open the extra lanes with a separate temporary lighting heads, whilst the remainder of the works are hoping to be completed by Wednesday 23^rd October. The additional temporary equipment is understandably slower than the finished lights, but having the extra lanes opened this afternoon has made a huge difference to traffic flow.

This really is great news for the 250 businesses and 3000 employees based on Lancing Business Park. It may seem like a cliché, but travel time really is money for our local businesses and anything that can be done to help keep our roads flowing, really helps support the local economy.”

To view more information in featured in The Worthing Herald, please click here.

A large proportion of our time is spent at work and many of us work within a team where we really get to know our colleagues, their routines and how they behave. Never was this more important than this week on the park!

Without mentioning names, a member of a team who has worked closely with a colleague for many, many years, thought it was strange that their colleague was running behind their never missed schedule. The team member was concerned and rather than just putting his concern to one side, he went to check on his colleague. After a quick chat he asked if his colleague had a toothache, but this was not the case. The team member just knew something was different and kept checking to then find his colleague's speech was starting to slur. 

Taking just few minutes to check on his colleague helped to raise the alert that his colleague was having a minor stroke. Immediate hospital action was taken and evidence of previous strokes came to light. The colleague is currently undertaking further medical tests to safeguard his health.

This could have been a very different story and LBP would like to commend the company for fostering a caring work environment and the team member for watching out for his colleague and taking quick action.

LBP is a vibrant business community and we are very all busy, but taking a few minutes to check when things feel wrong, could make all the difference. Encouraging staff to gently approach those they are concern about saves lives and can help ensure we all feel an important part of the environment in which we work.

For further details on what Stroke Signs to look out for please click here

West Sussex are also asking us all to be aware of the 48,000 deaths from Sepsis in the UK each year and quick action will also help save lives here too. For details of the Sepsis Signs to watch out for please click here

Please help spread the word.

LBP is pleased to confirm Phase One of the LBP Road Improvement Works is now complete, with all substructure repairs undertaken in Chartwell Road.

There are a few areas of line markings still to be replaced, but these will be repainted on a Saturday afternoon, to ensure Rabbit's access to their site is not impeded during operating hours. Plans are also underway to fill a couple of potholes in Marlborough Road North and one in Commerce Way, but these are awaiting excess materials from another job nearby, so we will need to be patient on these.

It was wonderful to see the completion of the new surface water drainage gully in Commerce Way and it has certainly been tested over the past week. The gully is fully working, helping to avoid flooding in Commerce Way and the Perpetual Puddle is no more!

The pavement corner outside Sussex Transport in Marlborough Road North served as an essential storage area for works debris, but unfortunately this took it's toll on the surfacing. LBP are so pleased to see that FM Conway has already beautifully resurfaced this corner.

LBP met with West Sussex Highways and FM Conway to walk the park yesterday, to sign off these works and discuss next steps. Unfortunately at this stage there are no guarantees, but plans are afoot to submit a funding bid for Phase Two of the LBP Road Improvement Works, which aim to fully resurface all the public highways across the LBP next year, along with repainting all the road markings.

Test drilling has been completed in Commerce Way and Spencer Road to show the substructure of these road is not a concrete base and therefore budget consideration is underway to see if these two roads can be resurfaced this year. More news as we hear it.

LBP is in discussion with Cllr. Paul Marshall, Leader of West Sussex County Council, who has kindly taken an interest in LBP's road issues and is helping to review the next steps.

In the meantime, LBP has raised a safety concern regarding the fading of the one-way arrows in Chartwell Road and West Sussex Highways are referring this issue to see if these can be repainted asap.

This leaves LBP with one last job on Phase One and that is to thank:

• Everyone on the park for their understanding and patience during these works.
• West Sussex Highways for their meticulous planning and support for businesses based on LBP.
• FM Conway for their understanding, flexibility and communication, which have help ensure business access was retained as much as possible during all the works.

If you have any questions regarding this project please feel free to call LBP on 07584 503729.

Thank you!

Last weekend, FM Conway's crew worked all Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday to complete the works outside Rabbit's two access points in Chartwell Road. LBP are pleased to report that access was reopened as planned, ready for work as usual on Tuesday morning.

This week has seen great progress with the majority of the trenches now completed and areas of roadway reopened for full access. Unfortunately sourcing materials has continued to be problem which has caused a slight delay.

LBP are pleased to report that many more areas of plating have now been filled, along with the potholes in the Marlborough Road Car Park crossover. A new large capacity gully pot has also been fitted in Commerce Way, to remove the perpetual puddle and help avoid flooding. The crew plan to fill and re tarmac the gully area later today.

The crew has been observing vehicles entering and exiting the Winston Business Centre (WBC) Access Road and have identify a way to undertake the works at the the top of this access during the day, whilst retaining full access for businesses.

LBP are therefore pleased to report that a weekend closure of the WBC Access Road is no longer required. The crew plan to commence works here on Monday, with half the access worked on at a time. Additional crew will be on site to ensure that each vehicle is carefully guided through the access and if needed, the crew will speedily cover works with metal plates to maintain artic access. The works are expected to continue on Tuesday with full access open by end of play on Tuesday and fully completed on Wednesday.  The crew are prepped to facilitate business needs as quickly as possible, but please could all drivers be patient during these final works.

The area of pavement on the corner of Marlborough Road outside Sussex Transport has been an essential resource to enable all debris to be stored and then safely removed from the park. This area is due to be cleared early next week and the tarmac area will be resurfaced.

LBP will be walking the park with FM Conway early on Tuesday morning to help identify if any further works are required.

The works permit has been extended until Friday 6th September to enable these final works and to provide time for the crew to remove all of their equipment.

LBP look forward to confirming that all works have been completed next week.

This week saw the completion of the road improvement works at the entrance to Chartwell Road and a full switch to works on the left-hand side of Chartwell Road.

The crew has been reopening sections of road as soon as possible to enable the switch and power through the rest of the works to keep on track, regardless of the continued delays in concrete supply and the awful weather yesterday.

LBP liaised with businesses in Chartwell Road and all motor trade businesses on the park this week, to try to identify the owner of the Fiat Panda which has not moved from Chartwell Road for a substantial period of time and is now causing an obstruction to the roadworks. LBP also issued a urgent text alert but to no avail, as it appears the Fiat is not linked to any business on the park. Full  credit must be given to the artic drivers as they have managed to navigate around the Fiat and keep the traffic flowing. LBP will continue to try to find the owner of the Fiat and arrange for this vehicle to be removed from the park asap.

Trenches that were dug earlier in the week outside the Test Centre were filled with concrete late yesterday and the top coat is expected later today.  Today will also see many more areas of plating filled to help flatten the roads across the park.

LBP is very grateful to report that the crew has kindly cleaned the covered gullies in Blenheim Road and ensured these are now functioning to avoid future flooding. WSCC Drainage Team have kindly arranged for these gullies to be fully cleaned in the next two weeks to set us in good stead for the winter.

Works have also commence in Commerce Way on the new gully to prevent the Perpetual Puddle, provide better drainage during high rainfall and avoid the surface drainage system backing up across the park which causes silting problems.

There are only a few trenches now left to dig but three of these are problematic. The crew has therefore kindly agreed to work this Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, to dig the trenches required outside both of Rabbit's access points in Chartwell Road. Plans are in place to ensure Rabbit's access is restored by first thing on Tuesday morning.

We will then be left with the trench required at the top of the Winston Business Centre (WBC) access road. Maintaining weekday and Saturday morning access here is essential, therefore approval has been sort to enable Saturday afternoon and Sunday working, hopefully on 31st August and 1st of September. The WBC businesses have been notified of this temporary access closure and dates will be confirm early next week.

19 trenches have now been dug to repair the substructure of Chartwell Road and rebuilding of theses areas is almost complete. A large section of repair has been completed outside Bidfood and will shortly be reopened ready for traffic again.

Floor sawing is well underway to ensure each trench has a crisp edge to help avoid future break-ups. This work is undertaken with a water saw to minimise dust.

A  major concrete delivery is expected this afternoon, following a slight delay due to the concrete plant breaking down earlier this week. FM Conway adjusted their work plan to keep the project on target and currently hope to complete all works a few days before the end of August.

The crew are working well to avoid impacting business access and to maintain traffic flow in Chartwell Road as much a possible. LBP would like to thank everyone for their patiences and understanding as this has made things so much easier for the crew and has enabled them to power through the right-hand side of the works.

So far this week we've managed to avoid any breakdowns within the open lane, although a big thank you needs to go to Sussex Transport for their very speedy rescue in Marlborough Road North on Tuesday. A delivery driver left a van without the handbrake on and Damian Pulford (LBP Chairman) and his staff jumped behind the van to stop its journey backwards into traffic and to push the van out of the way. Luckily no one was hurt and all damage was avoided. Well done ST!

Yesterday FM Conway reopened the right-hand side of the Chartwell Road entrance and switched to the left-hand side, ensuring sufficient HGV access is maintained.

Work has also commenced as planned on the far side of the access to Chartwell Business Centre, temporarily reducing access to one vehicle at a time. 

LBP are also pleased to report that the two buried gullies at the end of Blenheim Road have now been cleared and rodded. LBP hopes this will resolve the drainage issue and help avoid scenes like this:

Once the right-hand trenches are repaired and cured, the crew will switch to the left-hand side of the road next week, to complete the other side of each trench. More of the plating across the park will start to be filled as excess materials are available from each load.

The new gully in Commerce Way is currently being planned and we will have more news about this next week.

What a difference a week makes!

FM Conway have made great progress this week and LBP are pleased to report that so far each trench dug out has been straightforward. However, there are no guarantees this will continue as excavations progress throughout the rest of Chartwell Road. We have our fingers crossed though.

The plan to keep excavations to one side of the road at a time is working well and this will be maintained as much as possible.

LBP has been monitoring traffic flow and apart from the complications posed by the broken down artic in Chartwell Road yesterday afternoon, traffic has continued to flow well. FM Conway are committed to helping maintain access and traffic flow, so please do approach the crew if you have any issues and they will happily revise operations to assist you.

The crew has now progressed to the entrance of Chartwell Road and appreciate the issues this could cause, so are trying their hardest to excavate and repair this area as quickly as possible. It's hoped this area will be completed today if possible.

What a wonderful sight to see works commence on filling the areas of plating across the park with an interim surface. The aim is to provide a flat surface before the works are completed at the end of August and for full resurfacing works to be applied for next year.

Next week the crew aim to fill all excavated areas on Tuesday ready for reopening on Wednesday and then to swap sides of the road. This is dependant on many factors, so please bear with us as works progress as quickly as possible.

On Tuesday works are also due to commence outside Chartwell Business Centre (CBC), reducing this access to one vehicle at a time. During these works pedestrian access to CBC will be via the gate to the side of the main vehicle access point. These works are expected to take at least a week as one side of the access needs to repaired and cured before works on the other side can commence. Please can CBC businesses ask staff and visitors to be as patient as possible and to drive slowly through these works.

The holiday period has definitely reduced the number of movements on the park to help make these works possible. LBP do however understand the works are noisy and unavoidably disruptive.  LBP would like to thank all businesses and drivers for their understanding during these essential works and please rest assure everything possible is being done to speed through these works.

More news next week.

We are pleased to announce the LBP Road Improvement Works are due to commence in Chartwell Road on Monday 5th August and this stage of the works are expected to last until 30th August 2024. 

This is the first step towards addressing the numerous road surface issues across the park. LBP would like to thank West Sussex Highways for revising their plans to provide the substantial substructure repair works required in Chartwell Road, before full resurfacing works can be planned. LBP are pleased to confirm West Sussex Highways has appointed road repair specialist FM Conway, to undertake these works.

LBP has been working with West Sussex Highways and FM Conway to ensure all issues are discussed and solutions identified. FM Conway are fully briefed about LBP and appreciate how important it is to provide site access and keep the traffic flowing. 

LBP met with West Sussex Highways and FM Conway on Wednesday to walk the park to determine:

• Why the dates were no longer showing on the works signs at Chartwell Road entrance -  FM Conway have apologised as the sun unfortunately sweated off the pen used to mark the works dates. This will be addressed asap, but please rest assured the works dates have not changed.

• What works are required before Monday - It's essential that tracing works are completed before Monday, to identify any utilities that exist in the works area. This will not impact traffic flow but will result in red (electric), blue (water) and yellow (gas) marking on the road. Delivery of the works barriers, signs and welfare unit will also need to take place before works commence on Monday.

• Where best to commence the works - the works will commence on Monday outside Biffa in the right lane of Chartwell Road, but access will be maintained to all sites.

• How best to manage the works to maximise traffic flow on Chartwell Road - works will only be undertaken in one lane at a time, with the loading bay outside Biffa needing to be taken out of commission for the week, to enable traffic to flow fully in the left lane. Please can you inform your drivers and customers to use either the loading bay outside the Test Centre or round by the Fire Station next week. On Monday, FM Conway's Foreman will be visiting all sites surrounding the works to ensure required movements are facilitated. Please call LBP on 07584 503729 if you have any concerns and we will work with you and FM Conway to address these for you. 

• The most suitable location for the works welfare unit to be placed - this will be placed on the west side of the Marlborough Road/ Blenheim Road Junction.

• The least impactful site for the works waste materials to be store and collected by grab lorry - this will be placed on the north corner of the access to Sussex Transport in Marlborough Road.

• Whether the potholes across the rest of the park be filled - West Sussex Highways has also instructed their Operations Team to fill all qualifying potholes across the park and these works are expected to be undertaken during twilight hours to minimise impact. Filling existing potholes can be completed very quickly (within an hour) and consideration will be given to maintaining traffic flow as much as possible. LBP are very pleased to confirm that the areas of 'plating' across the park, where the top surface has revealed the concrete underbase but are not deep enough to qualify for repair, are also to be addressed by FM Conway as they progress the works. These will be repaired with an interim material on an adhoc basis, as excess materials become available from the main repair works. The aim is for the whole of LBP to be as flat as possible by the end of this phase of works.

• What works will take place in the following roads during this phase of works:

• Whether the works will be completed on time - Unfortunately it's not possible to guarantee the works will be completed by 30th August, as FM Conway will not know the extent of the works required until each area of collapse has been excavated. FM Conway are however committed to providing a long-term solution for the park as quickly as possible.

• What will happen next - LBP will meet with FM Conway each Wednesday to review the previous week, discuss issues and plan for the following week. LBP will then place an update on the LBP News to keep business informed as the works progress. 

FM Conway are happy to work with all businesses on the park to ensure these works run as smoothly as possible. Please could you ask your staff and delivery drivers to be as patient as possible during the works. These are essential works and we really are doing everything we can to minimise impact to the day to day operation of the park.

More news next week, but please feel free to call LBP on 07584 503729 if you need any further information.

Please be aware that West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service are working with Paula Rosa Manhattan to plan a major emergency fire exercise on site in Marlborough Road. 

The exercise will take place from 8pm on Monday 22nd July with 3 Fire Trucks attending Paula Rosa Manhattan, considerable generated smoke and rescue activity.

Please can you spread the word so that people are aware this is a simulated exercise and not an actual fire.

Many thanks

LBP would like to thank everyone who has asked after the driver injured in the crash on 29th July 2024, outside Paula Rosa Manhattan in Marlborough Road.

LBP are very pleased to report that after being worked on by Paula Rosa Manhattan staff with their defibrillator and then the Emergency Services, the driver is recovery well in hospital. 

The driver is now talking and walking following the serious head injury. In fact this week the driver recovered sufficiently to undergo successful heart surgery, to help address the underlying course of the crash. 

It is expected that the driver will need to remain in hospital for the foreseeable future, whilst his neurology and cardiology issues are monitored. It is however hoped that rehab treatment will commence shortly.

LBP would like to send the driver and their family our best wishes for a continued good recovery.