The council brought in HOP Consulting, a specialist civil and structural engineering firm, and chartered surveyors MacConvilles to outline what could be done to make the car park safe to reopen to the public.

The team from HOP have concluded that the most basic set of repairs and renovation required to make the structure safe to use would cost an estimated £17.1m at least. 

This does not include any work to the building’s lifts or drainage, which would also be needed. It also does not include the additional cost to the council of borrowing the money required to fund the work, nor any planning or legal costs.

The report outlines four potential solutions to the car park’s issues, ranging from the installation of new steel support beams for the existing deck and refurbishment of the site at an estimated cost of £17.1m to a complete replacement of the deck and refurbishment of the car park at a cost of more than £32.3m. The options would extend the life of the car park to between 10 and 25 more years.

The options outlined by HOP will be considered by the council’s joint strategic committee at its next meeting, on 11th September. 

Cllr Sophie Cox, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: “The estimates for the work are far beyond what we can afford using our reserves and our own funding over the coming years.

“Such a huge bill could saddle the borough with borrowing costs that would need to be met through significant increases in fees, charges and council tax for years and years, as well as reductions in the services we could offer.

“We now need to weigh up exactly how much it could cost in total to reopen Grafton against the remaining parking capacity and demand for spaces, alongside the fact the site is in our Local Plan for regeneration in the near future.”

Separately, earlier this month (July) the council’s joint strategic committee agreed to relaunch the search for a developer to help transform the Grafton site for the benefit of the whole community. 

The site includes the 440-space multi-storey car park, Hollywood Bowl bowling alley, the Level 1 food and drink area, a small number of shops in Montague Street and access roads to neighbouring buildings, covering roughly the area of a football pitch. The council has also bought the leases to the shops from Clarks to Argos on the southern side of Montague Street to make it easier to develop the whole area.

Yesterday (Monday 4th August) the process to find a developer resumed, with the site being marketed to potential bidders. Offers that come in will be explored and evaluated before a preferred option for the redevelopment of the site will be selected.

The council could then be in a position to be able to select a developer for the project in Spring 2026.

The government’s announcement of £39 billion of investment to support the construction of affordable homes across the country could help drive forward the project.

Council officers are also continuing to meet with local businesses and residents to discuss what can be done to help them with Grafton closed, although there is no shortage of parking capacity in the town centre. They are also looking for ways to better support residents of Knightsbridge House with accessibility issues.

Although Grafton is closed to the public, Hollywood Bowl, Level One and nearby shops remain open and safe to visit.