Long-awaited work on the Madeira Terrace could be set back months after delays in securing a building contractor to start the first phase of its restoration.
Brighton and Hove City Council told Brighton and Hove News last month it was still working towards starting work on the terraces this summer, with a contractor due to be appointed by the end of May.
But this week, it said the tender process was still ongoing and the intention was now to start work “this year”.
The first phase had already been delayed and scaled back from 40 arches to 28 last year because of inflation. The reasons for the latest delays have not been revealed because of “commercially sensitive information”.
In May, Brighton and Hove News was sent a statement from Councillor Julie Cattell, lead member for major projects, which said: “We are absolutely committed to restoring Madeira Terrace and continuing to work towards work starting on site later in the summer.
“Renovating Madeira Terrace is a highly specialist and complex restoration project. The tender assessment process takes three months and will close at the end of May.
“This involves a lot of commercially sensitive information which we are not able to comment on publicly in the meantime, but we will update residents as soon as we can and hope to announce the next steps in early June.”
Today, a spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “We are fully committed to the restoration of Madeira Terrace and are currently in the tender process for the first stage, which has taken slightly longer than initially thought.
“We now expect to be in a position to update residents next month.
“Our intention is to begin the restoration work this year and will confirm a start date when we announce the outcome of the tender process.”
When the tender was first advertised, it included:
- A new lift
- Full replacement of the upper deck with a waterproofed deck, infrastructure for canopies / shades and for pop-up events
- Painting with a system guaranteed to perform better in coastal conditions than traditional materials available to the Victorians
- Refacing and regreening the Green Wall where possible
- A new staircase down from the deck next to Concorde 2 / Shelter Hall
- Reinstatement of the planted verges at Madeira Drive level
- A more pedestrian friendly layout in front of the Terrace
- Seating to the upper and lower decks
So much for Bella’s empty promises and claiming that ‘Brighton runs through me like a stick of rock’.
Looks like her stick of rock is past its sell by date and she needs to ‘reimagine’ her future since ‘reimagine’ is her other favourite bit of spin.
Hardly. Finding a specialist contractor is taking longer than expected. Whoop.
B&H coucil couldn’t run a bath. This has been delayed way too much. Costs now rising due to inflation and condition deteriorating further causing costs to rise more. Green’s chopped down Europe’s oldest green wall by mistake just to add to the comedy sketch. Greens and Labour need putting in the bin.
The costs rose long ago due to Liz Truss, Chloë. Things aren’t as simple as getting a painter and decorator in. This is likely connected to the fact one of the proposed contractors donated £50k to the public fund in the expectation of winning the contract, which is clearly illegal.
It’s been delayed long-long before the days of Liz Truss. You must be new here.
Hi – I thought that the claim that the tendering had been delayed because of a conflict of interest over donations seemed unlikely, given that it the fundraiser happened years ago now, but as you never know, I thought I’d check it out. I’ve been told by the council now it’s categorically not true. Hth.
if you think a conservative run council would restore then think again!
Are you sure you have quoted her correctly? That sounds painful.
Not going to happen is it?
it’s a ridiculous scheme, to renovate this unused terrace.
The council should lease the land to a developer over a very long term (semi-permanent) to tear this thing down and build a thriving village of shops, bars and restaurants. The council have no money, and no idea how to do it, and this is just another West Pier waiting to happen. The location is crying out for some sort of tourism village, and maybe even Concorde 2 could transition into a modern and much larger venue.
This shouldn’t be a burden, it should be an opportunity.
The other thing that nobody seems to acknowledge, is that with the structural dilapidation of the terrace comes the removal of the support that helps hold up the main retaining wall. When that becomes unstable, then the problem becomes many times worse. The time to give this to a developer is now.
The terraces aren’t holding up the cliff retaining wall.
What happens when you remove them and find out they do ?
Read this
https://www.brighton-society.org.uk/madeira-terrace-lost-in-retail-leisure-madness/
Excellent pointer to a genuinely interesting article. Thanks.
Removal is risky. Any works here are risky.
Any new development needs to minimise disturbance, but a new modern development would be so much better, and link the city to the marina.
When did Warren Morgan promise that work would start on Madeira Terraces 2018 or 19?
In fairness, we’ve suffered a few world events since then, and have had the worst government term in the UK since Oliver Cromwell.
When did Warren Morgan promise that work would start on Madeira Terraces 2018 or 19? How much was raised by the public towards carrying out the work? Are the council waiting for it to collapse?
According to a colleague’s FOI of some while ago the Council are not even ringfencing the Madeira Terraces restoration money so many people have worked so tirelessly to raise in a separate fund so how do we know they haven’t spaffed it on something else? They also seem determined to blow what they have spent on at least nine sets of consultants when it’s a pre-existing structure with original plans available.
Public raised nearly half a million, i360 contributed £1m and council match funded that. Since then costs have risen and more funding sources have been sought. Details on B&H website. Type Madeira Terraces into search box
Not going to be tarted up at all, will remain the same for the next few years.
Quelle surprise – it’s delayed! Remember when Warren Morgan promised to sort Madeira Terrace out back in 2015.
Then the estimated cost was £24m the government wouldnt fund it
Pretty sure its been ten years since work on the Terraces began, numerous fund raisers etc
West pier all over again. Ignore it until it is beyond repair.