The revamp of Pavilion Gardens – including a new toilet block and fencing – has just moved a step closer with a £4.37m lottery grant.
The project has been in the pipeline for several years, with a planning application submitted in November.
Today, the Heritage Fund awarded Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton and Hove Museums a grant of £4,369,755.
Councillor Alan Robins, the council’s heritage lead, said: “The Royal Pavilion estate is of huge international heritage significance, a key contributor to the visitor economy as well as an important green space and haven for nature enjoyed year-round by residents.
“We’re very grateful to National Lottery Players and National Lottery Heritage Fund for this important investment in the heart of the city.
“It’s important that we attract investment and capital funding into significant heritage sites like the Pavilion, to ensure residents have a city they can be proud of.
“We are thankful to the many community partners who have worked with the council and Brighton & Hove Museums in shaping this project, and pending planning permission, we look forward to seeing work begin later this year.”
CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums Hedley Swain said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will transform the garden, restore it to its full beauty and remain a haven of beauty and heritage in the middle of the city.”
Stuart McLeod, Director of England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “The Royal Pavilion Garden, Brighton is one of the most iconic urban green spaces in England.
“We’re thrilled to be supporting this project that will restore it to its former glory, removing it from the Heritage at Risk Register and celebrating its historic importance as a Nash-designed private royal garden.
“Thanks to this project, this much-loved garden will be able to be enjoyed by locals and tourists alike for many more years to come.”
The plans include:
- Restoration of the Regency planting design using the original planting plans designed for George IV.
- New visitor and community facilities – including an outdoor learning space, public toilet facilities with a Changing Places toilet, benches and bins.
- Repairing and conserving historic structures, such as the Grade II listed lampposts which are amongst the first streetlights in the country.
- Improving a sense of arrival by reinstalling historic fencing.
- Offering more information about the Garden through the ages onsite and online to help people discover our heritage through new signs and information plus a creative programme of events, tours, and activities.
- More efficient irrigation, drought resistant planting, protecting the roots of our heritage elm trees, and promotion of local biodiversity and wildlife.
- Increase community engagement to the garden, focused on a range of communities neighbouring the Estate.
- Developing new community partners to engage people with health issues to visit and enjoy the garden.
- Restoration of the paths with improved drainage and widening to improve accessibility.
The restoration of the Grade II listed garden, designed for George IV, is the second phase of a wider plan to improve the whole of the Royal Pavilion estate.
The first phase, the refurbishment of the Grade I listed Corn Exchange and Grade II listed Studio Theatre, was completed in 2023.
Questions for many people will be about the height of the fencing and the extent to which it restricts public access.
Yesterday I commented -“There are concerns about the height of the fencing and the extent to which it could restrict public access”
Councillor Bella Sankey replied, “David Lepper, We are aware of concern about public access and will ensure that public access to the Gardens remains at all times.”
I have thanked her for that assurance.
Also the extent to which they plan to close gates, night closure plans and restriction public access and historic right of way through and in the gardens
I love Pavilion Gardens and cafe, with the backdrop of The Royal Pavilion, then the closeness of the sea. Everytime I see the Pavilion, it takes my breath away, and I feel so lucky to have it on my doorstep. It’s great being able to sit in the grounds of a palace, and enjoy the lovely garden space. This space is for all generations to experience. I’ve loved it during the festival as well, and the also the buskers that are regularly there. I think nowadays, if I don’t go to the cafe, I would take a portable chair, so as not just to have a cursory glance. I’ve always been too late to get tickets for their free talks. I really hope they extend the talks as a regular thing., I would pay as don’t seem to get a look-in otherwise. Perhaps they could sell some plants. I don’t know what’s planned for access they culdand fencing, but I so love this place.
They plan to install Stalag 19 like 7ft fencing/railings all around the estate – how that “improves a sense of arrival” whatever that mean – beats me. Any erstwhile “historic fencing”: over the years – and it never encompass the whole estate – was never 7ft high.
It’s a concept in architecture, it’s not my field, so forgive me for basicness.
In crafting the arrival experience at a property, whether a grand entrance or a subtle path, factors like the building’s purpose, size, and the client’s message are considered. The goal is to create a cohesive transition from the public realm to the space, making it a memorable and enjoyable moment. In designing arrivals they may incorporate natural features or purposefully design elements for an enchanting experience. The architecture of arrival is integral to a building’s character, leaving a lasting impression on visitors.
Utterly meaningless jargon, then.. well, prison camp style 7ft railings will certainly create “a lasting impression”.
Great to know it’s getting some tlc – the council neglect of the loos is a disgrace. Clarity around the fencing, please – do they have any intention of fencing and closing in the garden? Love visiting the historic Pavilion Gardens Cafe – long may it stay as it is!
The problem with the toilets is that they are an excellent way to waste money due to constant graffiti and vandalism, as well as evidentially, they are the top place for illicit drug usage in public spaces. Overall, these make them very expense to maintain.
Loved by the people hated by the council. Does not fit with the various vanity projects and party dogma.
This funding should not have been necessary – hats off to those who put in the bid – never an easy task
Yeah, bids that size require an absolute boatload of paperwork to go with them. I did one that equated to £30k a while back, and that kept me busy for a bit!
Don’t hold your breath for commencement or completion…..how about 10 years…..remember this Brighton
No I won’t hold my breath, but hope they soon get on with it. Why is it that any improvements must rely on a lottery grant. These things always used to come under the heading, ‘annual maintenance’, don’t see much of that in Brighton anymore. Wait for it it’s the fault of the Tory government. Yeah, yeah, yeah. NO! I pay well over £2000 council tax, what for? Ps make sure the railings are high.
There has been a 40 percent cut in the central government funding of councils since 2010. This means that most of what you pay in council tax goes on social care.
And there are none so blind who will not see.
Very true, it’s an often avoided fact that councils are having to do more with less. The Guardian posted a few days ago that nearly one in five council leaders in England now say they are likely to declare bankruptcy in the next 15 months, so it’s not a unique problem to Brighton.
In case anyone has forgotten, the whole Pavilion Gardens were restored to the original design at great expense a few years ago but the council didn’t look after them and seemed to think it was more important to encourage a mass influx of other area’s junkies and street drinkers into Brighton and Hove and misleading them that they were going to offer them ‘sanctuary’, rather than investing in our city. Closing the public toilets has devasted the Pavilion Gardens Cafe and made the Gardens and their problems even worse. Closing public toilets to stop vandalism – one of the many excuses for doing so – is utter madness and just causes more vandalism and neglect. Plus a public health issue when everyone starts using the bushes instead.
Please have this historic site gated and locked at night! I won’t even comment on what it’s used for now,, born n bred how on earth has it been allowed to be trashed and neglected like it is! So depressing
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Lo and behold, one of those involved is quoted as “saying” that this is a “most iconic” garden. It is either iconic or it is not. In any case, tautology apart, iconic is the most over-used adjective in recent times.
And that cited geezer is also “thrilled” by the proposal – as is another of them. Thrilled appears to have supplanted “exciting” as a description of such “initiatives” as “an exciting new mini-roundabout”.
As for all their remarks being “said”, these are not an oral matter. Those involved are not rung up and speaking on the hoof, and scarcelt able to control their excitement. No, these are comments drafted for them by a press officer, then “run by” those purported speakers who rarely change things to make the spiel sound more natural.
Yes, “most iconic” is grammatical. “Iconic” is an adjective, and by adding “most” before it, you’re forming the superlative degree, indicating the highest level of iconicity among a group. For example, you might say, “The Eiffel Tower is one of the most iconic landmarks in the world.”
I’m glad they have got the funding, because that will allow some basic refurbishment, but the presentation here is such a sham.
English Heritage only said the Pavilion Gardens were ‘at risk’ because they were a victim of their own popularity, and that the response to that success had been reactive, rather than with any long term plan.
So, for example, when there weren’t enough cleaners to empty the litter bins, we ended up with a second extra bin, but which didn’t match the original one. Two overflowing bins then attract foraging foxes who spread out the mess etc. – but it’s the park users who wrongly get the blame, for what is really a cleaning issue.
The proposed solution to that house-keeping annoyance is then to fence off the gardens at night, with a loss to locals, tourists, and for any other evening picnickers.
A classic example of victim blaming?
The press release quoted here is full of all that jargon about ‘working with our partners’, and you have to wonder how many of them have a finger in the bureaucratic funding pie.
These joint press releases then deliver the PR-sweetened view of the project, whilst hiding the underlying aim – which is to fence off a public park and major city centre thoroughfare, eventually restricting access to those who aren’t paying to be there.
It’s actually about money saving and about back door privatisation – and about future fundraising, for a public asset that the council could no longer afford to finance. Note that the new public toilets – the last in the city centre – will also be behind that high fence, and they will no longer be council run. When you just need a pee, it’s a con to be cheering upgraded ‘changing places’ – just because they have a new name.
The worst thing is how they’ve created this hysteria about how ‘dangerous’ the Pavilion Gardens are at night – whereas if you actually go there, you soon realise what a lie that is. And police crime figures already prove this is far less a crime hotspot than most other city centre areas.
As someone who has lived in Brighton all his adult life and often working in the nighttime economy, I’m frequently walking home through the Gardens after dark, and it’s a safe space and a wonderful experience.
Locals and tourists alike love the way the Pavilion buildings are lit up at night. Those who can’t afford to drink in pubs or to eat in restaurants instead enjoy sitting with friends on the Pavilion lawns on those milder evenings, and it’s a unique wind-free space.
It will be such a loss to the city communities if we lose all that.
Very insightful response, you obviously know the garden well. I too don’t recognise the description about the anti social behaviour. I don’t regard it as dangerous, rather sad actually.
It is an exciting project and I look forward to improvements in the garden.
Dont believe we need the fence, seems totally out of place, the garden stood be open & free access for everyone. Toilets especially!
Completely Agee
I’ve been visiting Brighton yearly for the last 10 years and of course end up in the Pavilion Gardens regularly. It’s usually in summertime when it’s full of folk just enjoying the place, eating, drinking, laughing, busking, people watching – a wonderful space. Bit of litter maybe but not so bad. The beds of flowers, shrubs, trees are beautiful the way they are. I’ve never seen anyone rampaging through. The times I’ve been there in the evening, the same. The proposed fencing is a worry and I’d be watching out for those paths. Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen has been turned into a skateboarders paradise – concrete everywhere, it’s Victorian landscaping gone forever.
Who needs an added sense of arrival? Brighton Pavilion and Gardens is a sight you never forget and brings people back.
Anyway hopefully in May it’ll still be the way was last year.
Originally it was enclosed as the Prince Regents personal space, keeping the hoypaloy out. Looks like that is back with the gardens being closed for private functions and used as a revenue generator for the council.
As to the new loos, unless there is a gatekeeper ensuring that junkies and other nerdowells are kept out, it will soon emulate the roaring success of the toilets on the Level.
They had free talks on the gardens, I think this may have been for the festival. The places were limited, hence I was too late and missed out. I hope it could be a regular thing, perhaps generate revenue for them with visitors and locals alike. Perhaps the costs would outweigh any profits, or they might be bogged (excuse the pun) down with red tape.
I wonder…something like a concierge for the gardens?
not the council, its a trust now . New loos will have a kiosk who will be there for security
This about what happens at night