Worthing schoolchildren asked to design public space of the future

Worthing Borough Council is asking children in Years 7 and 8 from Worthing schools to design their ideal space. Pupils will be encouraged to think about how areas can be made more environmentally-friendly, more child-friendly and more exciting.

The competition is part of the council’s response to The Big Listen, in which councillors and council staff travelled around the borough hearing from residents about what they like about their town – and what they would like to see improved.

Two of the themes that emerged from The Big Listen are calls to improve Worthing’s public spaces, and the desire for children and young people to have more facilities and spaces that are designed with them in mind.

The council last month held a public spaces consultation to delve deeper into which areas people want to see enhanced and how, and now wants to involve children to ensure that young people are also at the heart of creating sustainable, vibrant spaces that everyone can enjoy.

Using examples of different types of space in the town centre, pupils will be able to reimagine these areas, creating new and exciting places. The Council will use the ideas submitted to build a clear picture of what young people want from spaces in Worthing.

The top submissions will have the chance to present their designs at Worthing Town Hall in front of a panel of judges. The winning pupil will see their design brought to life as drawings and visualisations by a professional architect thanks to Project Centre, a locally-based design, engineering and landscape architecture consultancy. They’ll also win a first prize of £1,000 for their school.

Cllr Martin McCabe, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said “Our belief as a Council continues to be that residents should be at the heart of decision-making, so I’m really excited that young people will now have a chance to show us some of the things they’d like to see in our town.

“The areas we’re inviting them to redesign in this competition are all parts of central Worthing that those who live and work here probably see most days. We want pupils to challenge themselves, and use their imagination to transform these everyday places into extraordinary spaces that the community can enjoy.”

Cllr Vicki Wells, Worthing’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “This is a hugely exciting opportunity for school pupils to be involved in imagining how public spaces in Worthing could be more exciting - and more environmentally friendly, too.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the ideas that the children come up with, so that we can better understand what makes spaces appealing to young people, and use that understanding to drive our future decisions.”

The competition runs until Friday, December 16. For more information and to get involved visit https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/student-design-competition-worthing-town-centre/.