A single comment can sometimes capture a feeling that many people have struggled to put into words.

This week, a discussion on the Worthing Reddit community began with a former resident saying the town gave them an “incomplete vibe”, pointing to patchy roads, unfinished-looking pavements and inconsistent mobile coverage.

Others quickly joined in. Some criticised the condition of the Guildbourne Centre, the long wait for major sites such as Teville Gate to be redeveloped, traffic around Broadwater and parts of the town centre that appear tired or poorly maintained.

But another group strongly disagreed.

They argued that Worthing is cleaner, calmer and far more interesting than it was 20 or 25 years ago, with a flourishing food scene, independent businesses, better pubs, a growing arts community and a seafront that has undergone a considerable revival.

So which version of Worthing is the real one?

The case that Worthing feels neglected

Those frustrated with the town are not necessarily arguing that nothing ever improves. Their concern is that progress can feel fragmented, slow and uneven.

Walk from the seafront through Warwick Street and parts of Montague Street and Worthing can feel busy, colourful and full of independent life.

Take another route through an ageing shopping centre, past an empty development site or along a damaged stretch of road, and the impression can change within minutes.

That sharp contrast appears to be at the heart of the current debate.

One resident described the Guildbourne as run-down, while others pointed towards Teville Gate as a site that has become symbolic of how long significant regeneration can take.

The old Teville Gate buildings and multi-storey car park were demolished by June 2018. Worthing Borough Council then bought the main site in 2021, before reaching a £5.1 million deal with Homes England in 2024.

As of July 2026, Homes England was still completing technical investigations and preparing the information needed before appointing a development partner. No final development proposal or planning application had yet been produced.

There are understandable reasons for those investigations. The site has issues involving drainage, utilities, highways, noise, air quality, archaeology and the route of the Teville Stream.

However, residents who have watched the site remain largely undeveloped for years may be less interested in the complexity behind the scenes than in seeing something finally rise from the ground.

Roads and traffic remain a major frustration

The online discussion also highlighted congestion through Broadwater and the difficulty of travelling east to west through Worthing.

This is not simply a social-media perception. National Highways previously acknowledged that the A27 between Worthing and Lancing suffers from congestion that contributes to delayed journeys, collisions and pollution.

A proposed £20 million improvement scheme was brought to an end in 2024 after the government decided not to take the A27 projects forward. National Highways had also said there was no solution that commanded broad public support.

That leaves Worthing in a difficult position.

Residents frequently complain about congestion, but major road schemes are expensive, disruptive and often deeply controversial. Cycle routes, bypass proposals and changes to junctions can all generate as much opposition as support.

The result is a sense that everybody agrees there is a problem, but few agree on the answer.

The argument from the other side

The most passionate response in the discussion came from people who believe Worthing’s progress is being ignored.

One resident who had lived in Worthing 25 years ago said the town was now “a million percent better”, pointing to the growth of independent cafés, restaurants, pubs and the arts.

Another described Worthing as quieter, cleaner and calmer than Brighton, while praising its walkability, transport connections and seafront.

There is evidence supporting the argument that Worthing town centre is far from dead.

Official footfall analysis for the final three months of 2025 reported that average daily visits were approximately nine per cent higher than during the same period in 2024. The report recorded more than 12 million visits across the quarter, with activity increasing towards Christmas and visitors generally staying longer than they had during the previous quarter.

The majority of visits lasted between 30 minutes and two hours, while more than 40 per cent of daily activity took place between midday and 6pm.

That does not mean every street is thriving, nor does footfall automatically translate into healthy profits for traders. But it challenges the idea that people have simply abandoned the centre.

Worthing is also undergoing the same transformation seen on high streets across Britain. Traditional comparison shopping has declined as more purchases have moved online, while food, drink, personal services and leisure have become increasingly important reasons for visiting a town centre.

In that sense, Worthing may not be dying. It may be changing into a different kind of town centre.

Regeneration is happening - but residents are living through the disruption

Montague Gardens is one of the clearest examples of the divide between long-term ambition and short-term frustration.

Work began in summer 2025 to transform Montague Place into a greener public space connecting the town centre with the seafront.

The finished project is expected to include up to 30 new trees, new seating, sustainable planting, a stage and sundeck, a children’s play area, a green wall and facilities for outdoor dining. The project was planned to take approximately 12 to 15 months.

Supporters see this as exactly the kind of investment Worthing needs.

Critics see more fencing, disruption and another area of the town centre that has spent a prolonged period looking like a building site.

Both reactions can be reasonable. Residents and businesses experience regeneration during its least attractive stage, long before they receive its promised benefits.

Even the council acknowledges the maintenance problem

Worthing Borough Council’s leadership has itself recognised that major projects are not enough if ordinary streets and public spaces look neglected.

In June, council leader Caroline Baxter called for greater investment in town-centre maintenance, including more jet washing, cleansing and improved upkeep of public infrastructure.

The council also pointed to new arrivals such as Skechers, the decision by TK Maxx to remain in Worthing and relocate to Montague Street, new signs and further planting around the centre.

That announcement arguably supports both sides of the debate.

It shows that investment and new business activity are continuing. But it also confirms that concerns over cleanliness and maintenance have been heard often enough to require a renewed response.

Perhaps both versions of Worthing are true

Worthing is not the abandoned town described by its harshest critics.

Its restaurants, cafés, pubs, theatres, galleries, independent businesses, pier and seafront give it strengths that many similarly sized towns would envy. Footfall remains substantial, and several significant improvement projects are underway.

But those successes do not erase the town’s more difficult areas.

Long-delayed development sites, tired shopping precincts, patchy public spaces and severe transport pressures can create a feeling that Worthing is permanently waiting for the next phase to begin.

The word "unfinished" may therefore be more accurate than either "thriving" or "declining".

Worthing appears to be improving - but not evenly, not quickly enough for everyone and not always in the places that shape a visitor’s first impression.

The challenge now is not simply to announce more ambitious schemes. It is to complete existing ones, maintain what has already been built and make the journey between Worthing’s successful areas feel as welcoming as the destinations themselves.

What do you think? Does Worthing feel neglected and unfinished - or is the town better than residents sometimes give it credit for?