A popular seafront paddling pool is to stay closed as the council repairs and bolsters the arches under the A259 King’s Road, Brighton.
A playground and public toilets will also need to close during the work, starting this summer, Brighton and Hove City Council said today (Monday 6 July).
The announcement follows the award of a £22 million grant from the government to carry out the work on the seafront arches between the bandstand and the recently rebuilt Shelter Hall.
The council said: “Millions of pounds is set to be invested in the arches under King’s Road in Brighton with work starting this summer following a huge funding boost.
“The Department for Transport (DfT) has awarded the city more than £22 million to bolster and repair the Victorian era arches which sit under the A259 along the seafront.
“The funding would pay for phases 4 and 5 of the work, focusing on the area between the bandstand and the Seahorse before moving on to the arches just west of Shelter Hall.
“Phases 1 to 3 have already helped with the creation of new shops, public toilets and the Shelter Hall.
“As well as the £22 million from the DfT, the council would contribute a further £3.9 million, with £1.8 million of that coming from public borrowing.”
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “This is fantastic news and vital for the future of this key part of the city.
“This funding means we can strengthen the Victorian-era arches so they can support the road, pavement and cycle lane on one of the city’s busiest routes for another 100 years.
“But we’ll also be able to create a better home for local businesses in this vibrant space on the seafront and, working with local communities, look at options for a new and improved King’s Road paddling pool area.”
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood said: “Brighton is home to a whole host of attractions, from its iconic beach and legendary pier to the fantastic local businesses dotted across the nearby lanes.
“This funding will mean that everyone can continue to enjoy all of these for the next 120 years by revamping the Victorian arches that dozens of businesses along the seafront call home – boosting growth across Brighton.”
The council added: “The closure of the King’s Road paddling pool while the work takes place gives the council an opportunity to work with the local community on creating a new and improved facility.
“The council is currently reviewing potential options for the site before holding a public consultation to gather the thoughts of city residents.
“The playground and public toilets will also need to close during the work.”
I seem to recall this work was carried out before not that long ago.
It wasn’t in this particular area
That will take years and these arches were done not that long ago! Do one arch at a time and re-open the Paddling Pool. No paddling pool during the hottest summer since 1976 is scandalous.
Different set of arches supporting King’s Road. There have been a number of phases in other locations and this is the 4th and 5th.
Paddling Pool clearly closed for safety reasons Tracy. Or would you rather have kiddies paddling in the middle of a building site?
Why can’t they provide a temporary paddling pool nearby? There is a whole square doing nothing much by the Upside Down house. They won’t be working on all the arches at once!
Because people would complain about the costs and money being wasted!
Plus is there the infrastructure there? Water and Drainage capable of dealing with the amount of water involved? Electricity?
Especially when no work has started yet. Is the paddling pool faulty?
That pool is always getting resurfaced year after year and when it comes to summer there is an issue and it closes. Literally only had a new floor put in and they are taking out of use! Total waste of our money. Work on the arches will not start for ages, so why not keep the flipping thing that is a money pit open now it’s actually in good shape. Bonkers decision yet again from the council. A new grant doesn’t mean kill original investment of peoples money
What will happen to the businesses that currently occupy those arches ?
they have been given notice a long time ago
This is cruel beyond belief on families with children suffering in this heat!
Exactly and these works are not about to start next week so why not patch up the paddling pool for the rest of the season first? What is happening to the play area too? Will either be relocated on a temporary basis?
A £22 million grant from the government to carry out the work on the seafront arches between the bandstand and the recently rebuilt Shelter Hall?
Why have the government suddenly handed this money out for this purpose when they wouldn’t do so for Madeira Terraces and rejected a £9.5 million Levelling Up fund application? Also the council is responsible for the stretch of A259 running through Brighton and Hove as a Unitary Authority so how much will the residents have to pay?
Because the arches (and not just the shops) that support the A259 need to be replaced otherwise they are at risk of collapse if they aren’t replaced closing off a major road.
The arches extend right back supporting the entire road (which is actually a viaduct for part of it’s length) not just the depth of the shops.
The A259 is part of the Major Road Network so qualifies for specific government grants.
The arches under the A259 are structural. The Madeira Terraces aren’t structural but decorative.
The amount the council has to contribute is listed in the article.
You may find the Cabinet report useful reading
https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s212828/A259%20Kings%20Road%20Seafront%20Highway%20Structures%20Arches%20Phases%204%205.pdf
Witout the Madeira Terraces the cliffs in Kemptown would collapse
Ask your MP its government money
Is the paddling pool open ? It seems to be dry. I don’t understand why something so simple requires constant repair
The good news is there will be no disruption to the seafront cycle lane, according to today’s news, just the kiddies’ paddling pool and playground. Cllr Muten getting his priorities right, lol!
Could it be more complicated than that?
Could they be aiming to kick the businesses out to ramp up the rents and reduce the lease length for future businesses? Nothing would surprise.
That would be in complete contradiction to council policy, and makes no logical sense financially either, but hey, as the saying goes, no matter how many times a rock falls to the floor, it has the same chance of floating to the ceiling…
No disruption to the road either, but you left that out. Doesn’t suit your “blame cyclists for everything” narrative, does it?