The first phase of Madeira Terrace’s restoration is still on track to be completed next summer, residents were told yesterday.
The last of the 28 arches which are being refurbished is due to be taken down by the contractor Mackley next week, when work to repair the concrete wall behind it can ramp up.
Meanwhile the final lift design is being put together so the bespoke parts can be ordered and the foundations put in.
At the update meeting at Sea Lanes yesterday, Mckley’s project manager Mike Clegg said: “Some of terrace is already at the foundry being refurbished. One element has so far had to be replaced.
“Once repairs are made, the item is then ls tested and measured to make sure they are the right size to fit into the plans.”
He said the last few weeks had also involved trialling a way of fixing the terraces back onto the wall.
The first trials had failed because the wall was too crumbly and so a different, more secure method would now be trialled.
“The original dismantling has gone really to plan. The aspects we thought would be more challenging have taken hours rather than weeks.
“But the trusses weren’t put together as it was shown on the 19th century plans, so they fell apart as we took them down.
“It’s been swings and roundabout. We have gained some and we have lost some, and we are about where we want to be.”
He said if it was discovered that any significant parts needed to be replaced, that could add 26 weeks to the project, because of the time needed to manufacture new ones.
When asked about whether any money was in place for future phases of restoration, Brighton and Hove City Council cabinet member Julie Cattell said no, but the council was hoping the completion of this phase would help in bidding for more money.
The council’s project manager Abigail Hone said the council was already pitching for money from the Heritage At Risk capital fund.
She added: “Some of the elements we took out as being non-essential could be brought back if the project goes smoothly.”
She said when the Victorians first built the terrace, they spent about £100,000 reinforcing the wall – far more than the £14,000 spent on the terrace itself.
In today’s money, that total is worth about £12 million – roughly the same as is being spent on this first phase of restoration.
Mr Clegg said that if Mackley was asked to price up future phases, it would base that on how the first phase went.
But he cautioned that other stretches of the terrace – in particular the western sections – were in worse repair than the stretch currently being worked on.
Obv good to see some progress, but everything feels painfully slow moving. Planning permission was granted in 2022, then tendering processes, and this is just the first phase (repairing 28 of 151 arches).
Would love the council to have greater ambition and really make the case to the government that the arches are a heritage asset and money should be secured to properly protect their future, rather than this long drawn out process. It’s taken 3 years and spanned 2 council different council administrations to get work started on these 28 arches – lets hope that more pressure is put on government for proper funding to get things moving more quickly on the rest.
I would rather the contractor does all their learning on phase 1, rather than rush ahead. If the lessons are learned well, the future phases will be completed more efficiently. I am assuming the same contractor will be used for subsequent phases. And that phase 2 is given the go ahead while phase 1 is nearing completion , so the team can be kept together.
Yes phase one is the learning curve all other phases should be easier cheaper and quicker all depends on funding and on which side phase two will start
I think that any funding should have maintenance clauses for future councils as it was lack of the same that has led us to where we are.
That is included in the business plan
I attended the latest update of the Madeira Terraces restoration on Wednesday 14 May 2025. This is a great opportunity to find out more, ask questions and show that we are interested in knowing how the progress is.
I attended as a resident and as the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Kemptown Ward. Please note that these notes are mine and are not officially approved.
Madeira Terraces Update
In attendance were approximately 15 members of the public, Mackley, BHCC and Cllr Julie Cattell, Lead Cllr for Major Projects. Again, interestingly, no locally elected Cllrs were in attendance to provide feedback and updates to residents and businesses across the local wards.
Wednesday’s (14 May 2025) meeting was a follow-on from the meeting held in January 2025, and whilst they initially said they’d update us every 3 months, I was keen that this was not the case in the first instance as we could see the progress and wanted to be updated when the first set of terraces were taken away. So I was pleased that this was occurring now as this is exactly the case.
We can all see the amazing progress that is taking place and I feel that while residents can see this, they are less concerned about challenging the fact that it’s not being done ‘on time’. That said, on listening to Mackley tonight, I am not concerned about the lack of a timetable, just a lack of intended finish time (more explained later).
Update on Works
Mackley explained that next week final arch in this phase will be taken down and most have now been removed from site, with 6 still onsite waiting to be taken away (as you can see if you look over the railings) – Mackley updated attendees on their tagging process to ensure each piece is tracked and fitted back to their original place.
Mackley feel that everything is going well and so far only 1 small element has been shown that it may need to be replaced, yet they’ve only just started looking at the restoration of the various elements closely.
Mackley explained that what they are doing is looking at the quality of the structure by stripping it back, painting it white to see if there are any cracks and to then look to see what should be done to fix it. If needing fixed, it then goes to the designers who review it and if OK, repair – if there are any concerns then it will go to English Heritage for more advice.
Any defects are then identified where they can do tests and the element, ensure it is durable and safe to use, confirm magnetic test to ensure that it’s not aluminium and if necessary, recast. Mackley reassured attendees that at each stage the elements are tested, retested and approved (or not) before anything is done with them. This includes load testing for structural support and if they meet all the requirements, then they are sent off for painting – where they are then tested again.
As highlighted in the January meeting, the first part was to try out 6 arches to ascertain the state of the wall, the various elements and to see what could / would work or not. They confirmed that a lot of the work has gone quicker than they expected, which is great news, however they are not sure that this will continue based on various discrepancies that may occur (more of that later).
Mackley explained that one of the key challenges just now is getting the structural support correct and they’ve been trialling various methods. They’re not quite there yet, however they are confident that they will confirm what option works over the next few weeks. This is crucial to ensure the walkways, the lifts and the elements are secure.
As was seen in previous pictures posted on social media, Mackley had covered part of the green wall to ensure none of the plants were damaged, they can now remove the timber to allow the plants space and air to grow.
Update on Adding Social Value
Mackleys went through the various engagement opportunities they had undertaken including:
• Attending the Chamber of Commerce employability event to source a possible placement for the project
• Discussions with members of the Chartered Institute of Builders (CNIB) so they could learn more about heritage restoration and the work that they are currently undertaken
• Talks at Careers Weeks for young engineers, one of which has since applied for an engineering degree based off this
• Working with Pedal People to help move their container to further down Black Rock and create safer outdoor space for them
• Various talks and engagement with schools and youth groups across the city.
Mackley emphasised that they are continue to reach out and see what additional social value can be added throughout this process and welcomes input into what else they could be doing to support this aim.
Next Steps
Over the next three months Mackley will be concentrating on:
• Concrete wall repair
• Continuing with cast iron restoration
• Completing arch removal
• Piling
• Lift design and foundations
Questions from the Audience
(please note that the answers are not verbatim, simply taken from my notes)
Q: Have you been in touch with Community Works? A: Yes, and Community Brighton to ensure there is some youth development work.
Q: Have there been any shocks? A: Not really. Dismantling has gone to plan and progress and the first 6 took hours rather than days each. However, Mackley did find that there was inconsistencies with what was on the plans and what they found, mainly due to the fact that the final plans were not the same as the original ones and they were working off the original plans, so they’ve had to renew and check as they go on.
Q: Will the balustrade at the top along Marine Parade be updated and part of the upgrading works? A: No.
Additional note: Cllr Cattell confirmed that this would be part of the new Seafront Development Board’s remit, whenever that Board gets started, and whilst I have put myself forward for that Board, I’ve so far only heard that there are delays in appointing people due to the large number of people applying (over 100).
Q: When will the lift be built? A: When the first phase has been completed. Obviously there are various elements still to be completed, including structural support, however the lift won’t be completed in isolation of the rest of this Phase.
Q: Will the lift size remain the same, ie: will mobility scooters and wheelchairs be able to get in and move around inside? A: Yes. There has not been any changes to the lift size.
Q: Is the lift original? A: All new lifts are bespoke to some point as we can’t simply buy a lift ‘off shelf’.
Q: What’s the thickness of the retaining wall? Not sure, however we don’t need to drill far into the wall to ensure stability for the rest of the construction. We are testing out various methods and not there yet, however we are confident that we will find out what works best soon.
Q: Will the trusses be sitting on a pad? A: Yes and there will be a 4 metre anchor which will be tested to ensure stresses and strains are able to hold the concrete slabs, weight and other issues confronting a seafront element.
Q: What are the timescales for completion? A: We are hoping to complete by middle of next year (Summer 2026) however that also depends on what we find with all the elements and whether or not any need to be replaced. Each replaced element could add an additional 26wks on to the project.
Q: Will work start on more of the arches? A: Not sure as we’ve only been given the contract for this Phase.
Additional note: Cllr Cattell confirmed that no additional funding had been confirmed or identified as yet, however they hoped that as this work progresses, more opportunities for grant funding can be secured.
Q: Where did the money come from? A: BHCC confirmed that most of the money had come from a council loan, with £750k from English Heritage and £460k from crowdfunding in the early stages. The total cost of the budget is approximately £11.5m.
Q: Is there a final design as to what the promenade will look like? A: BHCC explained that no, not yet as that will depend on what structures are required to be put in place to ensure sufficient safety of the promenade itself. When that has been confirmed, a more detailed plan can be presented. BHCC also confirmed that it also determines how much is left from the ‘contingency’ pot of money that has been set aside. The less that is needed, the more is available for the final designs on the promenade.
Q: When will work start on the rest of the arches? A: Cllr Cattrell confirmed that they are not sure as it relies on funding available (please see above).
Additional note: the £51m wasted on the i360 would have guaranteed the restoration of not just Madeira Terraces (approximately £24m), it would also have paid for the restoration of all the railings, seating and shelters along the seafront and Marine Parade (approximately £4m) with money left over for continued maintenance.
Q: How many arches are there in total again? A: 151, with 28 being done in the first Phase. It was decided to start on these as they are from the original designs created when it was first built and would possibly have the most work required on them to meet English Heritage’s approval.
Q: Where is the foundary? A: Derby. The same company that did the Victorian Fountain in Old Steine. The original foundry was based in Lewes.
Q: Is the reheating being done through renewable sources? A: No. However, as part of the contract we are trying to recycle as many parts as possible through this process.
Q: Is there a documentary going to be made highlighting the restoration process? A: No, however there are time lapsed cameras on site to show progress. Mackleys have been doing media interviews etc, yet no documentary has been requested.
Q: Maintenance costs – are they now being factored into BHCC budgets moving forward? A: No. However, BHCC confirmed that they are looking at working with the events team to ensure part of the monies raised from usage of the arches would be put into a maintenance fund.
Additional note: this is quite disappointing to hear as myself and others have called for an additional cost / levy from events along Kemptown seafront to be put into a fund which could impact the local community in positive ways. This sounds now like that will not happen and instead money going towards maintenance costs that should be part of the overall Madeira Terraces budget. Not having any forethought by this Labour administration is quite alarming if they hope to have this completed by Summer 2026, the thinking of how to maintain it should be a priority.
Q: What type of events are going to be utilising the space / arches etc? A: That has not been decided as yet, however there will be power and water supplies for pop up events.
Additional note: it was confirmed that lighting would have their own power supply, however why is solar lighting not being thought about, as well as additional lighting that shows reduces anxiety and is a safer way for individuals to walk alone at night?
Q: What opportunities are being created for young people, including those from SEND and Carer backgrounds? A: Mackley confirmed that they did look into the possible of recruiting a SEND young person, however due to the nature of the work and expectations, they felt that it was not safe enough to currently do so, however they are looking at other options further down the line and in-house. They have managed to confirm work experience from local students, have summer placements from local universities and are still looking to recruit apprentices.
The government is not interested it’s up to us to restore the Madeira Terraces hence the delay. All due to funding issues. Write to your MPs and ask them?
I can’t for the life of me understand why they insist on spending so much money repairing and recasting them, when they will just be painted anyway.
Why not make them out of a modern material with better durability against the harsh elements? Take a mould and copy them exactly – once painted noone will ever know the difference.
That’s a fair question, Matt, and it often comes up in heritage restoration. The key issue is that Madeira Terrace is a listed structure, so repairs must follow strict conservation rules. These require materials and techniques that match the original as closely as possible, even if newer alternatives might be cheaper or longer-lasting.
Heritage funding also tends to be conditional on using traditional methods. It’s not just about looks, it’s about authenticity, historic value, and ensuring the site keeps its listed status. That said, your point about long-term maintenance costs is a valid one, and I am leaning toward your rationale; I’d rather something durable and long-lasting!
Heritage England won’t allow it. All has to be replaced as was
I would have been very interested in attending this meeting and would have done so had I known about it. Can you tell me where future meetings are publicised please?