The council plans to put a painted wooden hoarding with anti-climbing rollers around a café building and public toilets blighted by vandalism.
Brighton and Hove City Council has applied for planning permission to build a painted plywood hoarding around the café and toilets at The Level.
The move follows advice from Sussex Police community officers based at the park, according to the council.
The planning application said that the hoarding would “best preserve the future use of the building and prevent the safety risk of people climbing on to the roof”.
It added: “The building requires protection from anti-social behaviour.”
According to the application, the hoarding would be decorated with a mural and include anti-climbing rollers.
The café has gone through several incarnations in the 10 years since it was built as part of a multimillion-pound revamp of The Level.
It was initially known as the Velo Café and operated by the local Small Batch coffee shop chain.
It has since been known as Tomato Dolce and Salato before becoming The Level Café which ceased trading in 2021.
Since it opened in 2013, the £1 million café building has had to have its eco-roof replaced before being forced to close when water came through the floor.
Flooding at The Level, which has closed the café for two years, is partly a result of damage caused to the Victorian brick drainage system when the skate park was built.
Work to resolve the problem has included planting trees and installing seven soakaways for water running down from Ditchling Road.
To see the application or to comment on it, visit the planning portal on the council’s website and search for BH2023/02025.
The application is due to be decided by Tuesday 19 September.
So – to conclude – an expensive white elephant gifted to the people of Brighton by the Greens.
Sounds familiar?
Another crap solution adding to the run down feel of what should be a major asset for local people
Get the cafe fixed and open
Get the toilets properly staffed
Brighton Council must look after these projects long term
The skate park light s should be switched off at 10pm
Thanks to all the friends of level who help make the area better
Hope September meeting is positive
Not just hoarding which is like giving up
Join On The Level Brighton group on Facebook
I’m astounded that this is the best solution, given the cafe has been shut for 2 years. Equally, it was always painted as a mysterious issue with leaks in the eatery, now this article says it’s a problem with the roof. So if that’s the case, why not replace the roof with a normal one?
Because its not just the roof , its the foundations as well that needs rectifying
You mean the building that Councilor West swore blind to me was fully financed along with the rangers that would be employed to ensure the area was kept safe.
You mustn’t have a go at Pete West – he might throw another wobbler
Why not spend the money to subsidise a cafe business instead? Call it the Graffiti Cafe and have a few drip buckets here and there.
After spending more than £100K to get the grass roof repaired ( no warranty) plus the money for drainage and trees planted they’re going to spend more on a wall to hide an eyesore. A number of businesses have already lost time and money .
Knock it down . It’s only a cafe and toilets not the Taj Mahal . How much will it cost to rebuild without the eco credentials ?
Though maybe because a EU grant was wasted on building it then we would have to pay it back
It was lottery money
A painted wooden hoarding? Sounds like an open invitation for yet more graffiti.
Hendrik – you beat me to it. I noticed this morning that some brain-dead tagger has defaced the murals on the long wall in Upper Lewes Road – a bunch of hoardings won’t remain pristine for more than five minutes…
Sometimes it’s better to admit defeat and raze it to the ground instead of throwing good taxpayers money after bad.
Thought you were talking about the i360 there for a moment….
Definitely the right thing to do.
Why don’t the police actually try doing some police work on the Level?
Another carp eyesore moneypit that failed to deliver in terms of its primary purpose bequeathed to the City by the thoroughly inept Greens