Shoreham Bike Park, a proposed cycling facility project in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, has renewed its public push for support after saying the long-running project is still waiting on a lease from Adur & Worthing Councils before it can move forward.

The renewed campaign matters because this is not a new proposal. Shoreham Bike Park has long described its vision as a unique multi use bike park to the north of Adur Recreation Ground, designed with six sections to cater for different ages, abilities and cycling disciplines.

That original ambition was given a major boost in November 2023, when the group announced that it had been chosen by Adur & Worthing Councils to take the project forward. In that update, the team said it would shortly be granted a conditional lease for the land so it could progress to securing planning permission and funding.

The same announcement included public backing from Councillor Emma Evans, Adur’s cabinet member for environment and leisure, who said the proposed bike park would be an excellent way to transform an underused slice of land into something that directly benefits the local community and encourages people to stay active and enjoy being outdoors.

That is what makes the latest update stand out. In a new Facebook post and campaign graphics, Shoreham Bike Park says the site is officially approved, says more than 2,400 people support the project, and says £10,000 has been raised locally. One graphic sums up the current position in blunt terms: the project is stuck waiting for one thing, a lease from the council. Another adds: “No lease = no funding, no build.”

The group’s latest post says that until the lease is signed off, it cannot move on to funding applications, planning or construction. It also says the aim remains to turn an unused space into something positive for Shoreham, describing it as a place for young people, families and anyone on wheels, free to use and built for everyone.

We reached out to Shoreham Bike Park for comment. The group said: 

“We’re not here to point fingers. Councillors and council staff have been supportive, and we recognise how busy they are. But after years of waiting, we need to see this move up the agenda. This project is ready to go. We just need a small amount of time and focus to get it over the line.”

That leaves a clear public gap between the November 2023 message and the current one. In late 2023, the project team said a conditional lease would be granted shortly. The latest campaign says the lease is still not in place. Based on the material currently visible, there is still no formal public explanation of what specific issue is still holding it up.

What we know

The project has a confirmed site, official site approval, more than 2,400 supporters and £10,000 raised locally. The lease remains the key outstanding step, and without it there can be no progress on funding, planning or construction.

What we don’t know

There is still no formal public explanation in the latest material for why the lease has still not been completed, what part of the legal or council process remains unresolved, or when that issue is expected to be cleared.

A council officer has now publicly engaged on the issue. In comments on the project’s latest post, Joss Loader of Adur & Worthing Councils said he was not aware that the lease was the only outstanding issue and confirmed he would follow it up. Shoreham Bike Park replied that the council has been receptive to the project but suggested it may have “fallen off the to do list”. No formal update or timeline has yet been published.

What now

For a project that was publicly presented as moving forward in 2023, and which appears to have strong public backing along with many of the ingredients of a strong community facility, the key questions now are simple: what is still blocking the lease, and when will Adur & Worthing Councils finally award it? If people want to help move the project forward, the current campaign is asking supporters to share the latest post and show there is still demand. 

You can also follow the latest updates from the project here: Shoreham Bike Park on Facebook.