Now that the Bench is open and everyone (locals and visitors alike) have had a chance to see it for themselves, I wanted to give my own predictions for what I think is likely to happen in the future. I do this as someone who has followed the project closely for the past year, although I have nothing to with its conception or manufacture.
Having spoken to many people both during its construction and since it's been open, it is clear to me that views on the bench have changed. When it was being built, almost everyone who saw it (especially those from Littlehampton) absolutely hated it. They complained about the design, the uncomfortable seating, the lack of a proper shelter and that it was a waste of money. Very few understood the project, how it originated, what it was intended to be, how it was funded and why the end result was significantly different from what it was supposed to be. It wasn't surprising therefore that they were so negative. After all, the vast majority of their knowledge about the bench came from reading negative (and largely misinformed) letters in the Gazette.
Since it's opening on Friday morning I have heard almost no negative comments and an overwhelming positive response
from everyone I've spoken to, be they young or old, residents or visitors.
Much of this I believe is down to the very simple fact that the two shelters are the stars of this project, both visually and how people interact with them. There is also no question that they are not shelters, but pieces of art that whilst you can sit on, have already become a magnet for kids to climb on. They are - and will always be - climbing frames.
So to my predictions...
Despite what many had said during the project's inception, I think the bench will very quickly prove a visitor attraction. At the moment, that's largely down to word of mouth, because there has been almost no publicity about the bench.
The two shelters (rather than the bench itself) will be the draw, largely from kids wanting to come back to Littlehampton to climb 'the bench' and others wanting to try it for themselves.
The shelters could even eclipse the East Beach Cafe as the visual icon of Littlehampton (especially when they're filled with kids)
Similarly, the two shelters will become THE Littlehampton photo opportunity. I've seen it for myself that as soon as people arrive at the shelter, the kids run to clamber over it and the parents reach for their cameras. By the way, most people shoot from the promenade, when the photo is much better if you shoot from behind the shelter towards the sea.
Surely the people who run the websites of Littlehampton Town Council, Arun District Council and Sussex by the Sea will realise the error of their ways and start to prominently feature the bench. Right now, it's not even mentioned on any of them!
Similarly, someone will also realise the need for signs around Littlehampton (at the station and in the town centre) explaining where the bench is, and at least one sign at the bench itself explaining what it is. Many people still think it's the world's longest, and others have no clue at all as to what they're looking at.
And what they're seeing is not going to stay looking like this for long. The two shelters are already discolouring badly. The one nearest the East Beach Cafe is rapidly turning grey, whilst the other shelter which arrived two weeks later is not just following suit, but is already starting to very visibly rust. One can only imagine what they might look in a years time.
After just a few days, the slats are also showing signs of wear and tear. The wood is clearly going to weather, but several slats already have damaged ends (probably from bikes leaning against them). The coloured slats (of which I believe there are far too few of) are also starting to scuff up. This isn't surprising as they get walked on more than they get sat on!
The two areas of the bench where the slats rise up to form a backrest are, frankly, just shouting out 'see how strong I am' and it will only be a matter of time before some one tests that and they get snapped off.
But the greatest damage is surely going to come from small children running along the bench and falling off, especially at the points where there are metal grab handles that they won't be expecting - or when the slats begin to get loose which some are already doing. Others may also be hurt by falling into the slats that point up at angles, surely something any health and safety check would never have passed.
And then there's the two climbing frames - for that is what they are. As sure as eggs is eggs, children will fall off and injure themselves. And just as inevitably they'll be calls that it's not safe. The fact is if it were part of a playground, it wouldn't be considered safe and the very least it would require a 'soft' floor. People will question why such a floor wasn't laid down when it was built, instead of it just being tarmac.
When I put these safety issues to the designers, their response was that there were other buildings and structures where accidents could also happen, walking on the wall being one example. The difference, as I pointed out, with the bench (and particularly with the shelters) is that unlike a boring wall, these invite people to walk and climb on them.
It will be interesting to see what happens when the first person sues the Town Council!
Maintenance of the bench is also going to be interesting. Will it be regularly checked for damage? Will it be regularly cleaned? What will happen if some slats get broken or covered in grafitti? Will they be replaced? How will this be funded?
Looking forward, whilst the original intention was to make the bench twice the length it now is, I think it is very unlikely that will happen. Firstly, I can't see much point trying to be the longest bench and secondly, I can't see where the money to do it might come from. The best bet would be to approach a wealthy benefactor, such as Gordon Roddick, because public funding such as CABE's Sea Change initiative will be a thing of the past in today's age of austerity.
Getting the public to pay for increasing the length clearly didn't work as evidenced by how few inscriptions were sold. That said, now the bench is up and people can see it for themselves, I would imagine it would now be much easier to attract interest. Indeed, now is the time to be doing just that.
Personally, I think it would be great if the bench could be extended and connect with East Beach Cafe. To me, that's where additional seating is most needed.
In the future, when Pier Road finally gets developed, that's another area of Littlehampton that would benefit from a run of seating. Similarly, one could envisage seating all around the Oyster Pond. And, who knows, at some point in time, it could all become one continuous bench.
A lot of people ask whether the bench will attract more people to Littlehampton and insodoing bring more revenue to the town. I think it will bring more people (not because it's the longest bench, but because it's interesting to look at and the kids will love it) However, I can't see it doing much for the local economy, until such time one can buy souvenirs with it on.
Whatever people think of it, in terms of marketing this is the biggest commercial opportunity Littlehampton has had for ages. It's just a shame that those responsible for the bench and for promoting this town to visitors can't see it!
It's also somewhat ironic that there are two typos on the slats and that both of them relate to the very people who funded the bench. It's difficult to believe that on CABE's slat 'commission' is misspelled 'commision'. Or, given the etymology of this project, maybe it isn't.
