Our Vision

As with many coastal towns, Bognor Regis is positively seeking to improve its visitor offer as one of England’s’ premier coastal tourist destinations.

Rejuvenation of the Regis Centre, especially the Alexandra Theatre, gives us the opportunity to increase visitor numbers, improve the town’s economy and create new employment opportunities, whilst also retaining existing jobs.

In order to achieve this, our vision is to secure and transform Alexandra Theatre into a fit for purpose, state of the art venue for our audiences, community, and cultural partners to enjoy for years to come.

Proposed views showing what your theatre will look like after the rejuvenation

A planning application, submitted in Spring 2023, has been approved by Arun District Council under reference number BR/142/23/PL following our first event in March, where we received clear support for the rejuvenation vision.

The planning application for the Theatre rejuvenation includes the following key elements:

• Refurbishment of the main auditorium – improved sightlines, more legroom, displacement air systems and new technical infrastructure;
  
  
• Additional seat capacity in the main auditorium, rising to 386 seats;
  
  
• A total of 2700sqm of arts/cultural floorspace, including 1455sqm of new and reprovisioned floorspace;
  
  
• A fully accessible double height foyer/exhibition space with bar & cafe facilities connected by two passenger lifts;
  
  
• Inclusion of a new dedicated space in the foyer areas for use as on-site/pop-up art gallery/display space; with the added facility for this in any of the studios when required ensuring an ever evolving and changing art display subject to interested external providers/interest; 
  
  
• Improved catering and bar facilities;
  
  
• Five new airy studios with sprung floors and technical facilities. Some of these will be performing studios with staging and seating, with the potential for audio / visual connection to the main auditorium, allowing access for larger audiences to keynote performances;
• A striking contemporary and transparent façade spilling out on the new Place Saint Maur des Fosses.
  
  These improvements aim to provide the finest range of arts and entertainment events and programmes that are inclusive and diverse, inspiring audience groups to engage with new arts and activities in Bognor Regis.

View from proposed first floor

Significant Benefits for Bognor Regis

The rejuvenation of the theatre will also afford a number of benefits for the local area, which include:

• Attracting new visitors to Bognor Regis, all year round;
  
  

• Improve visual amenity and attract attention and publicity;
  
  

• Improve facilities for local people and improve local perspective of the town centre;
  
  

• Deliver long term investment into the Theatre’s fabric to increase its life span – whilst also making the building more sustainable;
  
  

• Create new jobs and retaining existing ones.

Sketches of Entrance (Left) and from Arcade (Right)