The council signed a £221,418 Pavilion Theatre reglazing contract on 20 August. Listed building consent is undecided, and comments close 11 September.

Worthing Borough Council has signed a £221,418 contract to replace the windows at the Pavilion Theatre before it knows whether it will be allowed to do the work. The building is listed, the listed building consent application is still open for comment, and a decision is not due until October.

The council’s chief executive approved the appointment of Pilbeam Construction Services Limited on 20 August 2026, for a net contract sum of £221,418.00. The decision took effect on 28 August. (Adur & Worthing Councils decision SDforO&E/024/26-27)

The two applications that would permit the work were validated three days before the contract was approved, on 17 August. Both are still at “Registered” status. The consultation on them closes on Friday 11 September 2026, and the council’s own determination deadline is Monday 12 October 2026. (Adur & Worthing planning register, AWDM/0836/26)

What the contract covers

The decision record describes the job as improving “the thermal efficiency of external windows and doors, including a combination of replacement units, secondary glazing and updates to existing”.

The listed building consent application is more specific. It seeks consent for:

  • replacing single-glazed windows with double-glazed metal windows in the main pavilion
  • double glazing fitted within the existing timber windows in the atrium, the Denton Lounge
  • secondary glazing installed in the dressing rooms and back-of-house areas

The parallel planning application, AWDM/0836/26, covers the same replacement of single-glazed windows with double-glazed metal units in the main pavilion and double glazing within timber frames in the Denton Lounge.

Timeline of the Worthing Pavilion Theatre window scheme: PSDS phase 3c bid approved 14 March 2024, applications validated 17 August 2026, contract approved 20 August 2026, decision effective 28 August 2026, consultation closes 11 September 2026, determination deadline 12 October 2026
Graphic by The Worthing Express
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Why the council says it cannot wait

The decision record gives a reason for the order of events. Under “alternative options considered”, it says: “The project cannot be delayed due to the council’s match funding obligations of the grant already received from PSDS.”

PSDS is the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. Worthing has been drawing on it for years to strip fossil-fuel heating out of its buildings and connect them to the Worthing Heat Network.

The relevant award is the phase 3c bid, reported to the Worthing Joint Strategic Sub-Committee on 14 March 2024. That report records:

  • a successful phase 3c bid worth £5.64m, covering energy efficiency measures, control upgrades, renewable electricity generation, metering and heat network connection costs
  • three buildings in the 3c bid: Worthing Museum, the Pavilion Theatre and Splashpoint
  • a total grant allocation across the 3b and 3c bids of £7,754,492, against council match funding of £3,238,839, for seven sites
  • match funding of £768,590 required to deliver the 3c project

The same report puts the whole Worthing Heat Network capital budget at £15,592,490. (Successful Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Phase 3c bid, report to Worthing Joint Strategic Sub-Committee, 14 March 2024)

Grant money of that kind comes with spend-by dates. That is the pressure the decision record is describing.

How the contractor was chosen

The work was tendered through the Delta eTendering portal, overseen by the council’s procurement team. Five contractors were invited. Pilbeam Construction Services Limited “received the highest score overall” and submitted “the most advantageous tender”, according to the decision record.

The decision was classed as a key decision and was subject to call-in. No call-in was recorded, and it became effective on 28 August 2026.

What still has to happen

Listed building consent is not a formality. It is a separate consent regime from planning permission, which is why there are two applications rather than one, and it turns on whether the work would harm the building’s special interest. Replacing original single-glazed windows in a listed seaside pavilion is exactly the kind of change that gets scrutinised.

Both applications were advertised in the press on 27 August. Neighbour and standard consultation both close on 11 September 2026, and the press advertisement expires on 17 September. The determination deadline for both is 12 October 2026.

There is a practical wrinkle if you want to say something. The council’s planning portal is currently carrying a notice that comments are failing with an error, and asking people to email their representations to planning@adur-worthing.gov.uk instead. It also warns of a delay in publishing comments because of the volume being received.

What it means for you

  • If you want to comment, do it by Friday 11 September. Quote AWDM/0836/26 for the planning application and AWDM/0955/26 for the listed building consent.
  • Use email if the portal fails. The council’s own notice points people to planning@adur-worthing.gov.uk.
  • The theatre is not closing for this. Nothing in the decision record or either application indicates a closure. The Pavilion is separately being connected to the heat network, which is the wider project this glazing work sits inside.
  • Expect more works on the seafront this autumn. Hemiko said on 28 August that heat network construction runs from early September to October half term, using underground drilling beneath Brighton Road and Marine Parade. We track that on our Worthing roadworks and travel page.
  • The money is not all council money. The scheme is part funded by the government’s decarbonisation grant and match-funded from the council’s capital budget.

Sources