Madeira Terrace gets £3m boost to restore city pride

The council unanimously approved the extra funding at a special Cabinet meeting

Brighton's iconic seafront arches are receiving an extra £3m to "restore some pride" in the city.

The city council approved the budget at an urgent meeting on Monday to speed up the long-awaited restoration of Madeira Terrace.

The cast iron arches of the Grade II-listed terrace have been closed to the public since 2012 because they were deemed unsafe.

Jacob Taylor, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said Brighton & Hove City Council was "committed to the restoration" and wanted to "get moving".

The unsafe arches at Madeira Terrace have been closed to the public since 2012

“While the sum is large, the opportunity to take a major step forward to restore some pride in the east of the city must not be missed," he said.

The unanimously approved funding boost will help complete the first phase of the project, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

As well as restoring 28 arches and bays, it will include a new lift, staircase and a waterproofed deck.

Council leader Bella Sankey said: “We are serious about finding a long-term solution to restoring and maintaining this iconic part of our historic seafront.

"We will not rest until all of the arches are restored.”

The restoration aims to bring the arches "back to life"

High arches and spiralling costs

The cabinet met at Hove Town Hall after contractor bids came in significantly over budget.

The first phase was already scaled back from 42 arches to 28 – less than a fifth of the 150-arch stretch.

Councillor Tim Rowkins said extra borrowing to fund the extra £3m would have a knock-on effect on the council’s overall budget, but restoring the terrace was worth it.

“Those arches are unsafe, and they’re not going to get any safer," he said.

"The cost of restoring them in the future is going to be higher if we don’t act.

“Difficult as the revenue implications might be, I think it’s a no-brainer. It has to be done. Residents would not forgive us if we don’t.”