Ripping up paving slabs and replacing them with tarmac has been dubbed “unbelievable” by the Brighton Society.
Brighton and Hove City Council has been replacing what they say were an uneven mish-mash of slabs and concrete with an even slick of tarmac in Preston Drove and Preston Park Avenue.
The council says this is longer-lasting and therefore cheaper – but the Brighton Society says it is damaging conservation areas.
“Presumably the personnel in Highways were congratulated for their work in Preston Park Avenue as they have organised an even more extensive contract to replace the perfectly good paving and replace with black tarmac for the whole length of Preston Drove.
“It is unbelievable.”
As well as damaging the conservation area, Mr Dawes said replacing rather than repairing structures is bad for the environment and that along some stretches, there are barely any trees which would have damaged the paving.
He added: “The council is about to commence Stage 3 of the Valley Gardens Project that will include huge areas of paving. Presumably the council fully approve of using paving because of its appearance.
“And yet at the same time the council’s highways management seem to have an agenda for removing paving in Conservation Areas away from the town centre.”
A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We repaired the pavements on Preston Drove and Preston Park Avenue because they were in poor condition.
“They were a mish-mash of concrete paving slabs, tarmac and concrete repairs.
“We replaced it all with a flexible surface that will be a lot more resilient than the slabs, last longer and are cheaper in the long-term because of the reduced need for future maintenance works.
“The excavated slabs are not being taken to landfill. They are being recycled – along with virtually all (98%) of the other materials we have to dig up and remove from our highways and pavements.”
The Brighton Society ought to be replaced with tarmac.
I was lucky enough to visit Croatia recently including Dubrovnik surrounds and several other towns along the coast and in the countryside. Most notable was that returning home felt like travelling to a 3rd world country with the state of the roads, rubbish and general deterioration. We seem to be going backwards and will continue so for same time with idiotic decisions like this replacing something of quality with something cheap and nasty just to save a few pounds.
The paving stones have also gone in Westbourne Gardens in Hove and been replaced with the blackstuff.
If – a big if – paving stones need to be rfeplaced, then surely it would be better to use coloured rather than black, which lowers the spirits and goes against the urban grain.
I guess you’d like green tarmac 😉
Pink could also be pleasing.
Cement, from which concrete slabs are made, is extremely bad for the environment so aesthetic’s aside tarmac is by far the greener option. Personally I’m OK with tarmac. I think it looks OK, is easier to walk on and you don’t get the trip hazard created after a vehicle has parked on the footpath and broken the slabs.
Apparently ashphalt is worse and although cheap in the short term not as cost effective in the long term. It also releases harmful gases in the summer months when it heats up contributing to pollution. It also seals the area preventing rainfall from reaching the ground beneath unlike paving stones with gaps between. That has consequences for nearby plants such as the tree in the picture and also towards flooding as water runs straight off to the drains.
Vehicles parked on tarmac, especially in the warmer weather, are likely to leave dents/ruts for puddles to collect and creating an uneven surface. Slabs get broken up by vehicles parking on them so you can’t win either way. Anyone remember brick pavements where you got a loose brick that acted a bit like a water pistol and shot dirty water up your leg when you stepped on it?
In roads where the slabs were replaced with concrete the tree roots are bulging upwards trying to find water. Some pavements are now almost impassable because the roots have risen so high creating an obstruction for prams, wheelchairs and a hazard for the poorly sighted pedestrians at night. On the continent they place cast iron grids around the tree trunks. Looks like no one from the council has ever been abroad.
The replacement with tarmac is unfortunate from an aesthetic point of view, but the state of most paving slabs in Brighton & Hove is appalling. They are often cracked, broken and dangerous, and it is very easy to trip over on them, especially at night when most street lighting is very poor. Ideally they should all be replaced with new paving slabs. It is a pity the Greens did not deal with them properly, instead of squandering resources on ridiculous, expensive vanity projects.
This tarmac they lay is not even , in some areas water stays and you can’t even walk on pavement because there’s a small dam of water and you’re forced to use the road , also bad for our trees because water now can not penetrate to the ground
The council is forced to make decisions like these thanks to central government cuts since 2010.
It’s always great fun walking on tarmac paths when there is frost about. Hope the Council is looking forward to a lot of claims.
hearing everyone talk about if it’s being green or not for the environment is dumb. There are much more polluting things than tarmac or something else that is temporarily polluting, compared to the use of diesel vehicles or consumption of meat. missing the bigger picture bigots