Private investment and sponsorship will be considered for the next stage of the restoration of the Madeira Terrace, councillors said today.
Cabinet members approved an extra £3 million in funding for the first phase of restoration of the listed seafront structure today (Monday, 12 August), which will see 28 of its arches restored and a new lift installed.
Brighton and Hove City Council has made a bid to Heritage England after positive talks – but as well as grants, private money will be considered for future phases.
Green councillor Sue Shanks asked the cabinet whether the council had made any attempts to obtain private finance including sponsorship for Madeira terraces for this or future works.
Deputy council leader Jacob Taylor replied: “We are continuing to review funding options for future phases including potential sponsorship or the option of private finance.
“Any strategy would have to be compliant with guidance from Historic England and ensure that public access to the terrace is maintained.
“We’re very serious about looking at the future stages and how we can leverage some of that financial sponsorship.”
He added: “What we are agreeing to do is to form a proof of concept, proving the terrace can be restored and made great again.”
He said the council would be making a call to the city for ideas for funding ideas before moving to the next stage.
The meeting, at Hove Town Hall, was called to approve the extra funding, which is needed after a tendering process resulted in contractor bids coming in significantly over budget.
This is largely because of inflation, which had already seen the first phase scaled back from 42 arches to 28 – less than a fifth of the 15-arch stretch.
Councillor Tim Rowkins said while taking on extra borrowing to fund the extra £3 million would have a knock-on effect on the council’s overall budget, restoring the terrace was worth it.
He said: “Those arches are unsafe, and they’re not going to get any safer. 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.
“Even the most able bodied and athletic bodied people will often find it a struggle to get to and from the beach up and down those steps.
“That’s half the city’s seafront that’s inaccessible. Residents would not forgive us if we don’t.”
He asked if utilities were being put in, which Councillor Taylor confirmed, adding: “We are not primarily doing this as a direct revenue benefit, were not expecting it to generate vast millions in revenue – it’s primarily restoration.
“But it’s important that there are utilities being put in for better event space, public realm and some limited commercialisation.”
Councillor Gill Williams contrasted the work being done in the west of the city compared to the east.
She said: “Looking away to Hove Lawns and all the lovely things that are happening there, people do feel deprived and forgotten and this is going to go a long way to providing inclusivity.”
The extra funding was unanimously approved.
“This is largely because of inflation” – so Labour by pausing Madeira Terraces have created this problem and we’re going to suffer cuts because of their incompetence
Well, the initial pause in spending on the Terraces came under the Greens, and then we had Liz Truss’s trashing of the economy that created much higher inflation.
Labour then came to majority power as our council but they inherited the Green financial debt, including all those expensive contracts signed off in a hurry by the Greens – like the Beryl bike hire scheme that has proved to be unaffordable to residents and visitors alike.
If you remember, the Greens got in such a financial mess that they proposed closing all the public toilets.
In fairness, the Madeira Terraces problem dates back decades, and across different councils. Lottery funding was applied for but was not forthcoming. Brexit and the Tory running of the economy caused high inflation, and in particular caused building costs to escalate to the point where it’s now difficult for any local council to find contractors willing to take on their work.
The sad outcome will probably be some half-privatised scheme where some of the arches end up as more shops and cafes. And, however we might feel about that, Madeira Drive at the moment is a complete mess. The cycle lane, built as a Green statement of intent, is way too wide, and the one main revenue source, the visitor car parking, is a total joke for anyone trying to use it.
The Madeira Drive road layout changes that happened under Covid were just stupid, and the whole area needs a re-think.
But don’t hold your breath for a quick solution.
Dont mention Brexshit
I agree but have to say that the Bank of England have fessed up and said that 2/3rds of the blame was down to them. So not all on liz truss.
The absolute biggest driver of inflation was Russia invading Ukraine, and our and Europe’s dependence on Russian gas.
Chris, I’ll respond to that, because inflation is not just about the published rate, but about various sectors.
So, on topic, yes we are talking about the costs of borrowing money for any project, but then there’s also sector-specific inflation, in this case within the construction industry.
Construction costs have risen steeply above the rate of inflation because of the lack of cheap labour since Brexit, and the shortage of building skills that Brexit caused. And the materials costs also skyrocketed when import costs went up after we left the European market.
The covid years also had a huge affect on the availability of some materials, which in turn caused further price rises. For sure, the increase in energy costs was largely down to the Russian invasion, and that too affects the building industry.
Today’s claim that UK inflation is running at 2.2% does not really apply to the construction industry.
On a simple level, I do construction and redesign projects in people’s houses and I’d say that over five years the typical job budgets have had to double. If my maths is correct that would suggest that construction inflation is running near 20%.
Some might like to claim that one benefit of Brexit is that British workers now get higher wages. But if you talk to any of those construction workers they’ll tell you they are no better off due to increases in living costs at home, and because of high increases in the costs of running a van and buying tools.
If they had done something in 2015 when they said they would restore Madeira Terraces as a priority things wouldn’t be in this mess: https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2015/05/11/madeira-drive-barricades-extended-in-case-of-collapse-as-council-warns-terraces-will-be-closed-for-many-years/
Nine years closed – what an embarrassment! I bet the whole thing was built originally in three months.
We can use all the money we’re making from the i360 to bankroll the project!
What money, they can’t even repay the loan from the council. That said if they wouldn’t have invested in that and focus on heritage the arches may have been done already
If I can 2 arches and planning permission for a house I’ll pay a million.
Take a casting, bulldoze it and replace it with new. Probably a 1/3rd the price, no one will be able to tell the difference. Job done
Like that. In fact, if the arches weren’t there, I doubt that most people would notice anyway
Just like HS2, these kind of projects cannot be built in the UK anymore. Just let the arches fall apart, neglect for 29 years, spend our money on the new traffic controls on phase 3 Victoria Gardens.
I hope they just get on with it. 20% of Brighton’s economy is tourism related and these terraces just look terrible and make the council look incompetent.
But to be honest how many visitors actually go down that far to notice what’s there and the state of it?
The pier is pretty much a strict dividing line on the beach with the section between the two piers rammed and the section between the pier and Black Rock relatively empty by comparison – partly due to the Volks cutting off easy access from Madeira Drive to the beach.
And yesterday’s decision to fund the additional £3m pretty much does what you want and gets on with it.
There’s no shortage of money for the rest of the ‘Eastern Seafront’ development – £540 million, so the cost of Madeira Terraces is a drop in the ocean out of that. It is ridiculous to pretend there isn’t enough money for the Terraces. Time to get on with the restoration and drop the excuses.
What £540m scheme is this Barry?
If you mean the proposed Black Rock arena to replace the conference centre I think that’s pretty much dead in the water since Aberdeen sold Churchill Square to IKEA and halted its plans to purchase the conference centre that was partly going to fund it (along with a shed load of borrowing)
As for getting on with it yesterday’s decision pretty much does that.
https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=1110&MId=11734
Well the reality is that the black rock space is not big enough for a replacement Brighton centre and miles from the trains. Most of the cash being spent there is from some coastal development fund i believe.
Warren Morgan, I think it was, promised us that the restoration would happen after money was raised by the public. Three Labour administrations later they are now looking for private money. Apart from safety work, nothing has been done. Is the policy delay, delay, delay until they fall down?
Absolutely shocking neglect, mostly by Labour. And now we are meant to trust Labour to actually restore the Terraces? Go on, surprise us!
Money was raised by the public enough to do 3 arches . Then £1m from i360 and match funding from the council meant 40 could be done. A specialist project manager was brought in, as the council was out of their depth. That delayed things as the project had to follow the 4 RIBA stages. Once stage 4 was finalised, planning was sought . Once permission was granted the tendering could start. Now at the stage of agreeing a budget with the contractor. Extra £3m loan was need to do this. Now agreed the contractor can start on phase one, 28 arches and a new lift. After phase one is finished the rest will be easier to do as they have the contractor and have the knowledge from phase one . Further phases will need to be funded.
And Gill Mitchell before him!
please this is important part of brighton it must be saved and cleaned up us tourists love it part of the great film quadrophenia
Walk around the City, it’s disgusting mess of fly posting, graffiti and tagging is everywhere. Out side each supermarket sits a beggar. On Western Road and London Road drugs are openly sold and used.
I’m surprised there are tourists who still choose to come here.
The Council are always claiming to be starting a new campaign to clean up the City – but nothing ever changes.
The Terraces is another West Pier, nothing will be done until it falls down. And don’t mention the Palace Pier missing concert hall – that still cannot be found?