Worthing shoppers face action over fouled precinct

People using Worthing’s Montague Quarter could see contractors brought in to clean pigeon-fouled paving after one of the precinct’s owners was given a firm deadline to act.

Worthing Borough Council ordered Cayuga Developments to clean the paved route between Liverpool Road at TK Maxx and the entrance to Nando’s by Friday, 28 August 2026. The company was also told that the affected space must be cleaned and maintained every week after the deadline.

The council said persistent pigeon droppings were harming the appearance of the shopping area and creating a health risk for passers-by. Its notice, released on 21 August, followed what it described as months of requests to the companies that own separate parts of the Montague Quarter.

Contractors could be called in at the owner’s expense

If Cayuga Developments does not clean the specified area satisfactorily, Worthing Borough Council said it will appoint contractors to carry out the work and bill the owner. The same consequence could follow if the initial clean-up is completed but regular weekly maintenance does not continue.

The council said it would use powers available under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The notice does not specify the likely cost of contractor intervention, so no confirmed figure is available for the potential bill.

Cayuga Developments and St. Clair Developments, which own different sections of the precinct, have also been instructed to address birds roosting above their respective areas. The council considers that action necessary to prevent the paved spaces from repeatedly becoming fouled.

Pigeon droppings raise public-realm and health concerns

The affected route sits within a busy part of Worthing town centre, connecting Liverpool Road with businesses in the Montague Quarter. According to the council, the continuing accumulation of pigeon droppings is affecting surrounding traders as well as people walking through the precinct.

Council leader Caroline Baxter said the privately owned site was undermining improvements being made elsewhere in the town centre. She called its condition “completely unacceptable” and said the owners needed to take responsibility immediately.

The enforcement action forms part of Pride in Worthing, an initiative intended to coordinate council teams, partner organisations, businesses, community groups and residents around improvements to the town. The council said more concentrated and regular cleansing had already produced a noticeable difference on Portland Road and Montague Street during the previous two weeks.

Wider cleaning work continues across Worthing

Pride in Worthing was launched a month before the Montague Quarter notice. Since then, the borough council has worked with West Sussex County Council, local businesses and community members on town-centre and seafront improvements.

The programme has included additional cleansing, refurbishment of seafront shelters and repainting buildings. Work has also begun on a permanent repair for Worthing Pier, according to the council’s update.

These publicly coordinated improvements are separate from responsibility for the privately owned Montague Quarter spaces. The council’s position is that the two property owners must prevent their sections from detracting from work taking place around them.

Owners’ responses were not included

The council’s published notice did not include statements from Cayuga Developments or St. Clair Developments. It therefore does not establish whether either company disputes the council’s assessment or what measures they intend to take against bird roosting.

The notice also does not confirm whether Cayuga Developments met the 28 August deadline. Its stated next step was contractor intervention, followed by recovery of the cleaning cost from the owner, if the required standard and weekly maintenance were not achieved.

Source: Adur and Worthing Councils News