A beach is set to be upgraded with a new hub complete with a lifeguard tower and other facilities.

The new building will make West Wittering Beach, near Chichester, “safer” and “more secure” for beachgoers.

Planned to be completed by winter 2024, the tower is designed to provide lifeguards with better views of the beach.

The building will also contain better medical and public facilities.

There will be new toilets, a medical suite, a full disabled and baby changing unit and a management centre for the staff who work at the beach.

The Argus: Progress is being made on the hub which is set to open later this yearProgress is being made on the hub which is set to open later this year (Image: West Wittering Estate)

The decision to build the new lifeguard tower comes in response to the increasing visitor numbers at West Wittering Beach, a popular destination for families, surfers, and nature enthusiasts alike.

“On average, 190 people need lifeguard assistance in the water and 165 need medical assistance each year – the team also successfully searches for and reunites 300 people,” said a spokesman for the West Wittering Estate.

The Argus: The new hub will have changing facilities and a first aid room

“These numbers have created the need for advanced public amenities and for an appropriate modern safety facility.”

Dan Stroud, a partner of Cover Storey Architects, who planned the design, said: “After completing the Beach Café in 2019, coming back to construct a landmark building at West Wittering Beach has been an incredible privilege.

"The lifeguard tower and facility hub have been sensitively designed similarly to the Beach Café with sustainability in mind, featuring natural textures throughout and keeping biodiversity front and centre. The building includes a large gabion wall to protect from prevailing winds from the southwest and allows sand to dune up against it, which is great for ecology.”

James King, director of King and Drury Construction, which is building the tower and hub, said: “We feel honoured to be working with the West Wittering Estate to build this exciting, state-of-the-art lifeguard tower on our local beach.

"The building will provide new facilities as well as improved safety for the local community and visitors afar, and we feel very proud to be part of that. It is fantastic to be a part of this community project”.