The Madeira Lift from Marine Parade to the beach won’t open for several years because it is beyond repair.
A new elevator just west of the Victorian lift is due to be built as part of the first phase of restoration work to Madeira Terrace – but this won’t be up and running until 2025 at the earliest.
And the newly-found damage to the lift shaft has scuppered hopes it could be restored in the first phase.
The council says it will now be repaired during a future phase, when the Shelter Hall it sits within will also be restored.
This leaves anyone unable to tackle the steps with a long detour via Duke’s Mound or the Palace Pier – which many people with reduced mobility won’t be able to manage.
The notice reads: “A new survey has shown the lift shaft can no longer support the weight of the old lift and the original plan to upgrade it is no longer viable.
“Since the terrace was closed in 2016, the lift has not opened at deck level and exist solely into the Concorde 2 nightclub.
“The historic lift had to be attendant operated and could not accommodate mobility scooters.
“A new fully accessible lift designed to accommodate wheelchairs and mobility scooters is to be installed at the Royal Crescent Steps in 2025.
“It will have lighting and security to provide 24 hours a day access for all to Madeira Drive and the deck from Marine Parade.”
A council spokesman added: “The Madeira Lift repairs to the lift shaft need to be carried out at the same time as any future works to the Shelter Hall building, as the two are physically connected.
“The Madeira Terrace phase one did not include these building works.
“This will therefore now form part of a future phase of the Madeira Terrace works rather than phase one as originally planned / hoped.”
The lift has become increasingly unreliable in recent years, and did not open last year either. It also closed in 2015 because of major electrical issues.
Since planning permission for the first restoration phase – including the new modern lift – was secured last year, surveyors have been spotted at the arches, and building work is due to start on site in the autumn.
The plans said the western side of the Royal Crescent steps would be opened while the eastern side is restored so pedestrians could still walk down.
Its hoped that the terrace will have up to five modern lifts along its length once fully restored. However, funding is only secured for the first phase, which will restore 40 of its 151 arches, between the Royal Crescent Steps and the Shelter Hall (Concorde 2).
Perhaps Stannah could assist on an interim basis!
What we have now is a council where truth is continually adjusted with spin, via a well-staffed PR department. They dish out press releases which purportedly report facts, and we are supposed to accept what they present.
This cheer leading – or propaganda – is getting even more common, now that we are in an election year.
The much-loved old Kemp Town lift is very expensive to run and has broken down many times. It’s not surprising therefore that they have found yet another reason to keep it closed. It’s a difficult PR issue for the public because this lift entails both access to the seafront, and architectural heritage concerns.
They now say the lift will be restored as part of the future restoration of the Concord 2 building – which also sounds good – But is that a fact, or just some long term wish or fantasy, for which there’s actually no funding?
Remarkably, this latest news comes just a few months after the council released plans showing a new lift, which will be built further west from there, as part of the Madeira Terraces restoration. Anyone living in Kemp Town and wanting to get down the high cliff and onto the beach, perhaps with a pushchair, will welcome that.
Then again, it’s not entirely clear that any of the Madeira Terraces restoration will actually take place – or when. Sometimes this council is like that happy family we all think we know, but where behind the scenes one or other of the parents has a gambling habit or a drink problem. Nobody dares mention the elephant in the room.
So this is actually another issue that is being kicked down the road, side-stepping any electoral conflict.
You may remember how the heritage-design seafront lampposts were also ‘being repaired’, and how the current cheap-weld solution of LED lighting appeared as a supposed temporary repair when maintenance issues emerged for the original Victorian designs. The removed lamps, allegedly being restored, then appeared on eBay. That was a bit like when the West Pier Trust sold off the architectural items from the West Pier that we asked them to carefully store.
I do hope I’m wrong. We all want these restoration projects to happen, because we love this city – which is special and our treasured home.
But when are these press releases true, and when are they just a hoped-for plan in the future? And when are they just PR spin – or simply a bare-faced lie?
Excellent comment
The recent bequest could and should be used to re-open the lift now: