Brighton’s seafront may be in line for a facelift – but Madeira Drive is being neglected, Labour councillors claim.
Last month, Brighton and Hove City Council announced it was spending £500,000 on sprucing up the seafront from Brighton Marina to Hove Lagoon, with £100,000 put aside for future maintenance.
But this will not include Madeira Drive – which Labour says breaks the Tories’ pledge to regenerate the Eastern seafront, made in September 2008.
Labour leader Gill Mitchell said: “It is simply illogical the local Conservatives are only prioritising the Hove Seafront for refurbishment. Madeira Drive has great potential to be a real asset to the City with the successful and popular Yellowave leading the way. But more needs to be done; businesses in the area need support. I shall be questioning why the Tory Council has taken no action over the last two years to regenerate this historic part of our seafront.”
But Mary Mears said it was impossible to revamp the whole seafront at once, and the Hove end was more in need of attention.
She said: “It is certainly not true that we have neglected the Madeira Drive section of the seafront. Last year, for example, we put in 250k to restore the historic Victorian Madiera Lift and have massively improved lighting and security in the area.
“However, the seafront is 7 or 8 miles long and there is a limit to how much you can do at any one time. The western end has been starved of investment for many years now and it is not a good advertisement for that part of the city.
“We therefore, made the decision that in order to make it more attractive to residents and visitors, and to attract more businesses to the area, we should put some significant investment in. This is our ‘shop window’ and ultimately, the whole city will benefit.”
