The Lec Site

After selling Lec Refrigeration, SDLL was left with three pieces of land in Bognor Regis:

• The New Era Estate, which comprises 300,000 sq ft of modern industrial premises on a 12-acre site,
• The former Lec Refrigeration site covering about 10 acres, and
• The former Airfield Site of about 44 acres which includes a disused airstrip - click here for more information.

Since the final closure of refrigeration manufacture it has been the intention of SDLL to implement a properly planned and sustainable after-use for the land, which reflects both the needs and aspirations of the local community and the urban regeneration objectives set for Bognor.

The first stage of implementing a successful use of the area was completed in 2007. The New Era Industrial Estate (4.5ha, 12 acres) is fully occupied by a prestigious tenant providing a substantial number of high value jobs. The site was sold to HSBC Specialist Investments in June 2007.

The second stage of our strategy has recently been completed via a sale of the supermarket site comprising about 8 acres of the former Lec site to Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd. This follows grant of planning consent from the Secretary of State for a Sainsbury's supermarket and related facilities, creation of a new access from the A29/Shripney Road and replacement car dealership.

SDLL retains ownership of the Retained Land comprising about 2.5 acres to the north of the supermarket site. The Widdowson Building will be retained to accommodate the existing tenant, Polestar Cooling. Buildings on the remaining land will be demolished and the remediated to provide a future development site.

SDLL also owns the Airfield Land (17.8ha, 44 acres) to the east of the railway and has commenced preliminary work to identify this land as a potential future development site through Arun District Council’s emerging Local Development Framework (LDF).