Asbestos and other concerns have seen plans to rebuild the Scouts warehouse in Lancing submitted to Adur District Council.
According to the plans, the existing Scouts Association warehouse, in Marlborough Road on the Lancing Business Park, would be demolished and rebuilt to ‘consolidate business operations’ of the Scout Store, Scouts World Shop and Unity, the Scouts insurance program.
Agents on behalf of the Scouts said the current warehouse, used to sort and export goods, had issues with ‘storage and usability’ due to its size and layout, with the two current office blocks now ‘obsolete’.
They said ‘mounting’ maintenance costs to sustain health and safety standards in the 1970s warehouse, and ‘heavy’ asbestos contamination were factors in needing to redevelop the site.
The new facility would be approximately 100 square feet smaller than the current one, but would see the existing offices and warehouse merged, leading to an increase of the facility’s percentage storage space from 35 per cent to 70 per cent.
It would also include solar panels across the roof, which the Scouts Association said would help aid its goal of net zero by 2030 – the redevelopment will also aid in the Scouts’ aim of £10million in profits by 2030.
The existing car park to the south of the site would be removed, which planning agents for the development Lewis and Co Planning said was close to many residents’ gardens, and its removal would lead to fewer ‘activities’ on that border, aiming to improve their amenity.
