Six new public drinking water fountains are set to come to Brighton and Hove as part of a drive to cut down on single use plastic.
Councillors are being asked to approve the purchase and installation of the fountains, a plan set up in response to a 2017 petition by resident Charles Ross.
They will stay for three years, after which the council will review the scheme, and even consider reconnecting the old Victorian drinking fountains in the city’s parks and squares.
The fountains, which are designed to withstand “customer abuse”, will be installed at:
- Queens Road adjacent the Brighton station bus stops
- Churchill Square adjacent the westbound bus stops
- Above Shelter Hall on the Kingsway junction with West street
- On the Plaza in front of the Palace pier
- Midway point of Hove lawns
- Adjacent to the eastbound bus stop in front of Hove Town Hall
The report, going before next Thursday’s policy and resources committee, says: “There have been further requests to consider the reinstatement of existing Victorian water fountains in Parks and Public Squares.
“The requests to consider either including the renovation and reconnection of existing fountains located in parks and public squares within this proposal, or providing new combined drinking water fountain and bottle filling points, have been submitted by individual council members, members of the public and residents associations / friends of the parks.
“They will be considered following the trial period of three years when the success of the project will be reviewed and consideration given to increasing the water fountain provision across the city.”
The cost of installing the fountains is estimated to be £42,600 which would come from the council’s Sustainability & Carbon Reduction Investment Fund.
A contract to run the fountains, at an estimated cost of £15,600 per year, would then go out to tender.
Good. Previous attempts to restore fountains foundered on their being connected to lead pipes, although I gather that there is now a way in which these can be lined.
Great picture of Queens Park, which is in Kemptown. What a shame that once again Kemptown is left out of improvements to the city, with no new fountains east of the Palace Pier.
great news, but are they actually going to reopen the existing ones at the same time?
I recently noticed a new water fountain at Guildford Station and apparently Great Western are rolling these out across their network.
It would be good if all stations in Brighton, Hove and Portslade had similar. At the expense of Network Rail or the operators.
In spite of the plastic supposedly floating in bottled water still buy it as the smell of chlorine in tap water makes me worry about what that treatment is for. Cleaner water =less purchases of single use plastic.