Worthing council buys Southern Water HQ for £21.27m

Worthing Borough Council has spent £21.27m on the 6.48-acre site at the junction of Yeoman Way and Littlehampton Road in Durrington. Southern Water will keep using the site by paying more than £1m in rent each year.

The council is using its strategic property investment fund to pay for the purchase. The fund exists to buy assets that can generate an income for the council to pay for services, using money borrowed from the treasury at low cost.

Councillor Martin McCabe, Worthing’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “Previously the council has used its strategic property fund to generate income by investing in property elsewhere in the country. By investing here in Worthing, we can work with local businesses for mutual benefit. This is part of our commitment to community wealth building which puts local people first.”

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