Colonnade seafront toilets reopen for summer after safety work
The Colonnade on Madeira Drive, the Grade II listed seafront arcade housing the public toilets (photo: Hassocks5489, CC0)
The public toilets at the Colonnade on Brighton seafront have reopened for the summer after being closed by structural problems, though one key accessible facility remains shut until winter and a wider refurbishment of the ageing building is still being drawn up.
Public toilets at the Colonnade on Madeira Drive have reopened, restoring an important facility for residents and visitors at one of the city's busiest seafront locations just as the summer season gets into full swing.
The site had to be closed because of significant structural issues with the ageing building, which had made the facility unsuitable for public use. Following work to make it safe, the toilets are open again from 9am to 6pm throughout the summer season.
What's open, and what isn't
While most of the toilets are now back in use, the Changing Places toilet needs to remain closed for the time being. Work to fix that issue is expected to be carried out this winter.
Open now — most public toilets at the Colonnade, 9am to 6pm through the summer season.
Still closed — the Changing Places toilet, with repair work expected this winter.
The Changing Places facility matters because it is not a standard accessible loo. Changing Places toilets provide extra space and equipment for disabled people who need the support of one or two carers, and the Colonnade is one of only a handful on the seafront, alongside Sea Lanes, Shelter Hall and the Rockwater in Hove. Its position beside the Blue Badge parking on Madeira Drive makes it one of the most heavily used accessible facilities in the city. Details of the city's Changing Places toilets are on the council's accessibility pages.
An ageing seafront landmark
The Colonnade itself is a Grade II listed shopping arcade of 25 bays, designed by borough engineer David Edwards and built at the end of the 1920s as part of the corporation's expansion of the seafront. The public conveniences sit within the colonnade beneath a raised walkway that once linked the terrace above to the wider Madeira seafront. That walkway, part of the much larger and long-troubled Madeira Terrace, is exactly what has caused the toilets' problems, with water working its way down through the deck above into the building below.
Wider refurbishment plans for the site, including accessibility improvements intended to secure its long-term future, are now being developed.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero and Environmental Services
Councillor Rowkins acknowledged there is still further work to do. He said the toilets are in an ageing building and the council needs to address longer-term structural issues and complete additional improvement works so that the site can provide the high-quality, accessible facilities people expect.
Find the facilities
The Colonnade toilets are on Madeira Drive, opposite the Volk's Electric Railway visitor station. Opening times and locations for all of the city's public toilets are listed on the council's public toilets pages.