Chichester North Street Rebuild: Work Due Spring 2027

Work to rebuild North Street and East Street in Chichester is now expected to start on site in March or April 2027. The date is in a report to Chichester District Council’s Cabinet, which meets on Tuesday 3 November.

Cabinet is being asked to recommend that full Council releases £2 million towards the scheme. The money comes from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), a charge on new development that must be spent on infrastructure.

It is one of four CIL spending decisions on the agenda. The others pay for a new self-service library at Minerva Heights, the design of a cycle track on Fishbourne Road East, and a study of a crossing on St Paul’s Road.

North Street and East Street

The Cabinet report says design work is under way. The scheme includes:

• full resurfacing
• planting
• wayfinding signs
• digital and electrical upgrades
• new street furniture

The whole project costs £10.5 million. The report sets out where the money comes from:

The district council agreed its £600,000 on 19 May. West Sussex County Council will look after the streets once the work is finished.

The start date has moved. The county council’s scheme FAQs gave February 2027 when we reported on the street works in September. The Cabinet report now says March or April 2027.

A library at Minerva Heights

Cabinet is asked to release £66,000 for a small public library inside the new community centre at Minerva Heights. The development is planned to have 1,600 households, according to the project form. The report says the area currently lacks library provision. The total cost is £80,000; West Sussex’s library service pays the other £14,000.

The project plan describes a self-service library next to the centre’s cafe. It would have:

• an automated book cabinet for borrowing and returning on a library card, which the plan says allows 24/7 access
• room for about 200 items
• a small seating and reading area
• access to e-books, audiobooks, newspapers and magazines

It would need no permanent staff. Volunteers would look after the stock. Chichester Community Development Trust runs the building.

The project form gives a start in January 2027 and a finish in April 2027, with a formal opening event. It is a pilot. The plan says it could be copied at other community venues, naming Graylingwell Chapel. The council’s original bid was £100,000; the cost came down when the county council firmed up the plans.

A cycle track and a crossing

• Fishbourne Road East: £200,000 to design a segregated cycle track on the north side of the road, with priority for people walking and cycling across side roads and better crossings. The report puts the whole project at £1.2 million, with building in later years. It is Route K in the council’s walking and cycling plan.
• St Paul’s Road: £50,000 for a study into traffic lights at the junction with Sherborne Road. The report says it would address safety concerns for people walking and cycling there.

What happens next

Cabinet meets at 9.30am on Tuesday 3 November. The agenda and papers are online. The £2 million for North Street and East Street then needs a vote at full Council on Tuesday 17 November.

What it means for you

• North Street and East Street will be dug up again from spring 2027. No traffic or access plan for the works has been published yet. We will add it to our roadworks and travel page when it is.
• If you live at Minerva Heights, a self-service library is planned in your community centre, with the project due to finish in April 2027. No opening date has been set.
• If you cycle or walk along Fishbourne Road East or cross St Paul’s Road, these are design and study stages only. Nothing will change on the ground yet.
• Cabinet meetings are held in public. For parking in the city, see our parking in Chichester page.