Durban Road '“ once a hub for businesses

It is interesting to see the changes that have occurred, since the vibrant area that existed there in the 1980s.

One of the major changes has been the transformation to housing from the original factory units. All the photographs for this article were taken on Tuesday last week.

One news report I saw from November 1957 stated: 'The area was poor agricultural land flanking the Aldingbourne rife west of the Shripney Road and gas works and belonged to a Bognorian named Brazier. It was thought that on his death he would present it to the town, but it went to his son. Negotiations went on for some years regarding the purchase of same by the council, but finally in 1957, it was announced that the industrial site had been privately purchased and would be given over to piece-meal development by a speculator.'

This report in the paper acknowledged the begining of the development. The plan was that the new owners would erect a number of factory units ranging in size from 5,000 to 100,000 square feet, which would be offered for sale or let on long leases.

A director of the Estates Company believed that large industries operating out of London would be attracted to Bognor Regis in due course, hence the estate.

The local planning authority instructed that the estate be planted with shrubs and trees because of its location to nearby residential housing.

Prior to work commencing, many people worked at one of the two major industrial companies in the town '“ Lec Refrigeration, on Shripney Road, and Hall and Goulding.

Lec at its peak employed more than 2,000 people on all its shifts. Hall and Goulding became well-known as Hago's. It was also situated on Shripney Road, but eventually moved into premises on the Durban Road Industrial Estate.

In January, 1960, work on the industrial estate started and the chairman of Bognor Regis Ratepayers' Association at the time said: 'It has always been our view that attractively developed light industries are needed to provide year-round employment in a seaside resort.'

Interestingly, one of the first companies to open '“ Kingston Mouldings '“ brought many of its staff to the town from Kingston and employed only a few locals. The article stressed there was a waiting list for jobs and it anticipated that 65 per cent would be women '“ no equal opportunities there then!

Another early factory was that of Polly Peck. Here the staff produced dresses that were sold worldwide. How many people who worked there can remember the design of a ship's wheel, with the four points of the compass? This nautical symbol was embroidered on all the clothing sent from the factory. In 1963, it was averaging 500 garments a week and employed about 65 staff.

The company had arrived in Bognor almost by accident as Polly Peck's managing director had a holiday home on the Aldwick Bay Estate, and he came across the factory units on one of his visits to the town.

I shall not attempt to list all the companies who have used the estate during its lifetime, but mention only a few.

Weir Electronics started life here in Bognor Regis in a small factory where today Mazda Garage stands on Chichester Road.

The electronics firm moved to the estate in 1968. It grew by taking over buildings until, eventually, the company seemed to be spread throughout the estate.

Weir's had more than 500 employees at its peak, but it has now declined and been taken over. Today there is no sign of the name that is known by so many people in the town who worked there.

The company product still remains but is now in the building once occupied by Rosemount Engineering. The original office building used by Weir Electronics has been undergoing major changes and now offers a very different style of service for the future. A smaller section of Weir Electronics is now occupied by Bognor Motors.

Another company was Rosemount Engineering. It had a small unit on the estate until, in July 1982, Princess Alexandra opened its newly-built premises during an impressive ceremony.

Rosemount Engineering was formed in 1960 as a subsidiary of an American company and operated from an old stable in Kingston-upon-Thames in Surrey. Within 12 months it had moved to Bognor Regis into its original units '“ numbers 17 and 18 '“ until its new premises were built on scrubland behind. The company expanded until it employed about 450 staff. However, over the years, with the changing needs of the aerospace industry, Rosemount Engineering vanished from view and its Heath Place premises that seemed to dominate the estate has been taken over by other companies.

During the 1980s, there were many business reviews published by the press or events in connection with career guidance, and this provided us with yet more names to remember. Jennings Office Equipment, which moved to the estate from its shop in York Road. Who can remember Racal Panorama, which produced health and safety products and Wayne Kerr and Rendar, which has now been replaced by council offices?

In the 1980s, fortunes were changing and redundancy instead of increasing staff numbers was the order of the day. Companies closed. Automotive Patterns closed with the loss of 60 jobs, Weir Electronics started to reduce its staff levels, as did numerous others on the estate. Various small companies and organisations have closed down for economic reasons.

In September, 2002, another company, Schurter Ltd, announced it would be leaving the estate and moving its production to China.

At one time, this was a thriving area of the town, with units full of local staff, where one of the main problems was the timing of the lunch break to ensure a reduction in traffic chaos on the surrounding roads. Many of the companies operated a twilight shift, where mothers could work from 6pm to 10pm, Monday to Friday; and night shifts were widely operated.

Today, there are companies moving into the estate again, so let us hope that soon the vandals will move out and companies continue to move into the Durban Road Industrial estate, which was built to enable people to work near home.

Many estate employees moved from company to company as there was always a friendly atmosphere in the area between businesses.

Let us hope this area can once again become the bustling centre it once was.

One of the major changes in Durban Road is the arrival of a bus service, something that was always required, but arrived '“ I think '“ with the arrival of the council offices. Names may come and go, names change, larger premises have been broken down into smaller work units, but what does not change is the requirement of local people to see the estate remain to enable them to have a place of work.