A clean up of the columns and balustrade next to the Sea Life Centre in Brighton could be on the cards if the council can find the money.
The news emerged after Save Madeira Terraces campaigner Derek Wright asked Brighton and Hove City Council to spruce up the stonework next to the new Soho House private members’ club.
The work – on the 32 columns and eight pillars along the colonnade in Madeira Drive – would cost about £6,000, Mr Wright said.
The area could become Brighton’s version of Covent Garden Market, he said, if the council used the “Doff” cleaning method to remove paint, biological matter and general dirt and grime.
The idea was greeted with enthusiasm by Green councillor Jamie Lloyd at a council meeting at Hove Town Hall today (Thursday 15 July).
He responded to Mr Wright’s request in his capacity as deputy chair of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.
Councillor Lloyd said that the eastern end of the seafront was getting the investment that it needed, with a focus on the Madeira Terraces and Black Rock.
He said: “We take the improvement and the tidiness and appearance of the area very seriously.
“Once the Soho House development is completed, we would consider whether there is the funding available to appoint external contractors to clean the columns.
“I personally think it is a good idea. What I would like to do is approach Soho House to see if they could contribute to this.”
Mr Wright also asked for a clean up of the Max Miller walkway, for the council to put flags in the flag poles for repairs to the bases – and he called for the Chain Pier plaque to be replaced.
Councillor Lloyd said that he agreed that this work needed to be done and he would ask officers to look into the budget.
The simple cleaning up issues and the removal of graffiti can make a huge difference to the environment, so this would be welcome. These are basic council functions we should not be asking for.
Whether it ends up ‘looking like Covent Garden’ is another matter, and that would require a lot more investment and maybe a different footfall.
Unfortunately, the council’s recent track record on Madeira Drive, going from one disaster to their funding of another, doesn’t make us feel confident about their ability to deliver on simple heritage or other visual issues.
The Madeira Drive bungle list is now endless: Dilapidated seafront arches, removal of heritage lighting, scarring the road with a slippery green cycle lane the size of the M1 – in the wrong green – and the unnecessary cutting down of seafront greenery.
And what about all the events we have lost, due to these inept decisions?
For sure, a basic cleaning of the colonnade arches would be something. But isn’t that like suggesting I should do the washing up after my dinner? The plates have been piling up on Madeira Drive for some time.
” the washing up after dinner” “The plates have been piling up” = great metaphors
“He said: “We take the improvement and the tidiness and appearance of the area very seriously.”
Comedy gold…
What would be a good idea is put modular units in the arches and charge maybe £500 a unit, a month, make it only for small businesses currently without premises and not for food outlets with a condition that they have to be open 5 days a week including Saturdays.
That would be 57 new businesses in the city potentially employing 200+ people and the city could borrow the money to make it happen on the back of future rent. It would also give the arches a revenue stream to pay for their renovation and upkeep.
Not only would that sort out this eyesore but it would pump life into this part of the city. Since it costs upwards of £25k + a £20k premium to be in the North lanes these days, there is very little opportunity for small business in this city to progress without having vast reserves of cash.
Maybe I should run for councillor because I don’t see anything creative like this from the current bunch.