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?
What will happen to the businesses that currently occupy those arches ?