New creative and collaborative workspace is launched in Bognor Regis

The Track is located within the recently refurbished Grade II Listed Bognor Regis Railway Station and will support creative and digital start-ups, freelancers and entrepreneurs in Bognor Regis and coastal West Sussex.

The Track is an initiative led by West Sussex County Council, with the support of the Coast to Capital LEP.

The workspace will be operated by Town Square Spaces (TownSq), which also manages hubs in North Wales and Oxfordshire.

Although the Track will not be fully opened until later this year due to Covid-19, local businesses, entrepreneurs and freelancers are invited to book a tour of the space, so they can learn more about how they can benefit from working locally.

Once fully opened, the hub will offer a shared and collaborative workspace, events space, meeting rooms and ultrafast fibre connection for emerging creative and digital businesses in the area.

The space has been designed by internationally renowned designer, and West Sussex resident, Wayne Hemingway and his team at Hemingway Design.

Bob Lanzer, the county council’s cabinet member for the economy and corporate resources, said: “It was wonderful to officially hand over the keys to TownSquare Spaces last week and I am really excited to see the opportunities it will bring to Bognor Regis. I’m also looking forward to seeing the space up and running, as since we broke ground late last year, the vacant spaces have been completely transformed and will provide new opportunities for the business community.

“I would strongly encourage interested parties to book an appointment to take a tour of the space and see how it can help their local business to blossom through working in a creative, collaborative environment.”

Georgia Alston and Bob Maddams were appointed as cmmunity managers for the hub in May, and, with all necessary safety procedures in place, are keen to start introducing The Track to potential founding members.

Georgia said that The Track will provide people with a new way of working: “Bob and I have already been engaging with the local community to start talking about the benefits of The Track, and we hope to slowly start opening up the space to give people taster or ‘headspace’ days.

“Many people have found that they have been able to work remotely during lockdown, turning their bedrooms or garden sheds into workspaces, but whilst doable, they often aren’t very practical. Just about everyone working will have had a zoom call interrupted by a child or a dog and it can feel that you always have a foot in both work and home life.

“By working locally in a space like The Track, people will have the benefits of having a great working environment close to home - turning commuting time into another bedtime story, a family meal, a workout session, or even just an extra half-hour in bed!

“We’re eager to show people that they can have the best of both worlds, and whilst we will be responsible in how we slowly open the space, we are excited to start showing people the potential of this fantastic way of working.”

To learn more about the Track and to book a tour, you can visit www.bognorregishub.com or thetownsquare.co.uk, tweet @bognorregishub or e-mail [email protected].