Work is due to start on the restoration of the Madeira Terraces next week, Brighton and Hove City Council said today (Thursday 14 November).
The council said: “Madeira Terrace restoration work will start on Monday 18 November, when lead contractor JT Mackley and Co will start to clear rubbish and greenery.”
“(This is) so repairs can begin on the A259 retaining wall, locally known as the East Cliff wall or the Green Wall. This wall also supports the terrace deck.
“Work to restore the first 28 arches and build a new fully accessible lift is expected to be completed in summer 2026.
“An important part of the renovation of Madeira Terrace is improving biodiversity and revitalising the Green Wall which has grown along the East Cliff wall for more than 150 years, predating the Terrace itself.
“During 2022-23, expert surveys of the plants forming the Green Wall were conducted to help us understand more about their health and how best to ensure that there is a thriving Green Wall is again after the renovation.
“Those surveys revealed that all the plants have rooted into the wall at various points which has allowed them to grow so tall.
“These plants now get most of their nutrients and water from the wall through their aerial roots rather than from the ground through their main stems.
“As a result of this, it is unfortunately not possible to retain the majority of the existing spindle plants, given the works that are needed to the wall.”
The deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor said: “The detailed plans have been carefully developed with conservation specialists and with input from the advisory panel.
“They will lead to the Green Wall becoming more biodiverse and greener when the work is completed. It will cover far more of the cliff wall than it currently does.
“However, it will take time to achieve this and the first step towards a restored terrace is to remove the majority of the existing vegetation.”
Councillor Taylor, who is also the cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said: “This is necessary so that essential engineering works can be carried out to the face of the A259 retaining wall, which also supports the terrace.
“The new climbers and planting will need to establish and have time to grow up the wall. The planting works are the last stage of the project and I’m looking forward to seeing the results when we are once more be able to enjoy this iconic piece of our heritage in 2026.”
The council added: “One of the first operations the contractor will do is to remove the vegetation. It is only after this that the challenging task of dismantling the structure can get under way.
“This will be followed by breaking out of the concrete deck. It is the deterioration of the deck that was one of the main reasons the Terrace was closed to the public.
“To enable the deck to be dismantled safely, the Royal Crescent Steps will be temporarily closed for about one week in early December.
“Notices of the closure will be put up at the top and bottom of the steps to provide advanced notice of the exact dates.
“Alternative access points at Duke’s Mound Steps (opposite Paston Place) and the Colonnades will remain open throughout the works.
“The parking bays between the Royal Crescent Steps and Concorde 2/Madeira Shelter Hall will also be removed and won’t re-open until the Terrace opens in summer 2026 but we will announce alternative provision next month.
“The bays to the east and west of this area will remain available.”
I can remember Warren Morgan promising restoration about 10 years ago that never materialised.
I hope work does actually start next week, but I think planning permission was granted back in 2022 under the Greens, and that more recently the plans got scaled back from repairing 40 of the around 150 arches to 28 – so it’s a bit of a rolled back scheme unfortunately. 28 is obv better than none – let’s hope things progress without further delays now.
Maybe we need a bit of subsidence on the A259 to make the department of transport help out, since repairs to the green wall/ cliff face need to be carried out before work on the actual terrace can start. This is happening further to the west on the A259, with associated improvements.
We’ve heard that one before
I’m taking this as good news.
For some years I have seen so many groups down there in hi-vis vests, hardhats, and with clip boards in hand, doing the site visits and pre work, but it will be great to finally see someone actually working on the structure.
We have to wonder just how many committee meetings and reports this restoration has already generated, and at what cost? The budget spent on administrative hours must already far outweigh the budget finally in place to actually start the work.
This should be a reminder to the council – and to all of us – how it’s best to properly maintain what you have in the first place. It’s similar neglect that has caused our heritage seafront lights to disappear, and we’ve seen seafront railings and seating shelters deteriorate in the same way.
They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but in this case the worker with a paintbrush is perhaps mightier than an office worker with a clip board. Once you contract out services, you add so many new administrative levels and unseen costs to simple repairs. When the simple repairs are not done you end up decades later, as here, with crisis management.
But at least we now have a process in place to achieve what everyone wants to see. Let’s also hope these restored arches don’t all end up as shops or cafes.
So after all that drama with the Greens the green wall has to be killed anyway?
Only several decades late. Why do we elect such inadequates?