£3 million restoration of Brighton's Madeira Terrace approved
Brighton and Hove City Council say it'll transform the area
Bosses in Brighton and Hove say spending £3 million on restoring a key seafront landmark will help to transform the east of the city.
The money's been approved for work on 28 of the arches at Madeira Terrace, with a life also installed to improve access.
The Victorian structure has been closed to the public for a decade due to safety fears.
Brighton and Hove City Council also say private investment and sponsorship will be considered for the next stage of the restoration project.
A bid's been made to Heritage England after positive talks.
Green councillor Sue Shanks asked the cabinet whether the council had made any attempts to obtain private finance including sponsorship for Madeira terraces for this or future works.
Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor replied: “We are continuing to review funding options for future phases including potential sponsorship or the option of private finance.
“Any strategy would have to be compliant with guidance from Historic England and ensure that public access to the terrace is maintained.
“We’re very serious about looking at the future stages and how we can leverage some of that financial sponsorship.
“What we are agreeing to do is to form a proof of concept, proving the terrace can be restored and made great again.”
He said the council would be making a call to the city for ideas for funding ideas before moving to the next stage.
The meeting, at Hove Town Hall, was called to approve the extra funding, which is needed after a tendering process resulted in contractor bids coming in significantly over budget.
This is largely because of inflation, which had already seen the first phase scaled back from 42 arches to 28 – less than a fifth of the 15-arch stretch.
Councillor Tim Rowkins said while taking on extra borrowing to fund the extra £3 million would have a knock-on effect on the council’s overall budget, restoring the terrace was worth it.
He said: “Those arches are unsafe, and they’re not going to get any safer. The cost of restoring them in the future is going to be higher if we don’t act.
“Difficult as the revenue implications might be, I think it’s a no brainer. It has to be done.
“Even the most able bodied and athletic bodied people will often find it a struggle to get to and from the beach up and down those steps.
“That’s half the city’s seafront that’s inaccessible. Residents would not forgive us if we don’t.”
He asked if utilities were being put in, which Councillor Taylor confirmed, adding: “We are not primarily doing this as a direct revenue benefit, were not expecting it to generate vast millions in revenue – it’s primarily restoration.
“But it’s important that there are utilities being put in for better event space, public realm and some limited commercialisation.”
Councillor Gill Williams contrasted the work being done in the west of the city compared to the east.
She said: “Looking away to Hove Lawns and all the lovely things that are happening there, people do feel deprived and forgotten and this is going to go a long way to providing inclusivity.”
The extra funding was unanimously approved.