King's Road Arches Work to Start in October as £22 Million Phases 4 and 5 Get Under Way
Fenced-off King's Road arches on Brighton seafront ahead of the next phase of work (Photo: Brighton & Hove City Council)
Work to strengthen the Victorian arches under King’s Road, between the Bandstand and The Seahorse Restaurant, is due to start within a couple of weeks of 28 September, according to Brighton & Hove City Council. A work compound has already been built west of the Bandstand and the arches have been fenced off. It is phases 4 and 5 of the council’s A259 seafront arches programme, backed by more than £22 million from the Department for Transport and a further £3.9 million from the council.
The King’s Road paddling pool, the playground and the public toilets in the area will close while the work takes place, the council said when it announced the funding in July. This article sets out what is starting, what closes, who is paying and who is building it, using the council’s own releases and Cabinet papers.
What is starting on the seafront
In its announcement on 28 September, the council said construction is about to begin on the next phase of the King’s Road Arches programme, on the stretch between the Bandstand and The Seahorse Restaurant. The restoration programme includes repairing damaged brickwork and concrete, replacing corroded structural elements and carrying out essential maintenance to extend the life of the structures.
King’s Road is one of the busiest roads in the city. The council says it carries an average of more than 25,000 vehicles and 2,100 cyclists a day, and the arches underneath support the road, pavement and cycle lane. The council says information about access arrangements and any temporary changes will be communicated to businesses, residents and visitors throughout the project and published on its website.
“It’s great news that work on this important section of the arches is about to get underway.”Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure
The council’s own reel on the start of the work, below, says it is starting in early October.
The compound and fencing are the visible first step. The council has not published a firm start date or a programme length in the announcement.
What closes while the work takes place
The council said in July that three things in the work area will be affected:
Cabinet papers from 12 February explain the paddling pool decision. The pool and play area in front of the phase 4 arches are run by Parks and Leisure and the Seafront Office, and the works make closing the play area necessary for their duration. The first step on the pool’s future is a feasibility study, followed by consultation and work with the local community, according to the Cabinet decision.
Why the arches are being replaced
The arches were built more than a century ago and have been exposed to the harsh marine environment for decades. The council said in a February release that surveys found them in urgent need of replacing to avoid a catastrophic collapse, which would close the road and make the area unusable. Once complete, the council says the work will make the arches and the road above safe and usable for the next 100 years and provide new and improved space for local businesses.
Who is paying and who is building it
The Department for Transport awarded the city more than £22 million for phases 4 and 5, and the council is contributing a further £3.9 million. The council said in February that £1.8 million of its share comes from public borrowing. Cabinet approved a capital budget for phases 4 and 5 totalling £24.85 million on 12 February.
Cabinet also agreed that, subject to the Department for Transport approving the full business case, the two construction contracts for phases 4 and 5 would be awarded to the preferred bidder, Knights Brown Construction Limited. Knights Brown signs are visible on the fencing around the arches. The council has not said in its latest announcement when the work will finish.
Roads and Buses Minister Simon Lightwood said when the funding was announced that it would mean everyone can continue to enjoy the seafront’s attractions for the next 120 years. The council’s reel on the award is below.
Phases and funding from the council’s releases of 6 July, 15 September and 28 September.
What comes next
The council is also seeking funding to carry on east along the seafront. Cabinet agreed to commit £4 million towards a bid of more than £41 million for phases 6 and 7, which would repair and strengthen 38 more arches east of Shelter Hall. We covered that bid in Brighton Bids £41 Million to Repair 38 More King’s Road Arches in Phases 6 and 7.
Councillor Trevor Muten said of that bid that if it succeeds it “would help secure our seafront for decades to come”, while acknowledging it would also bring disruption to businesses currently using the arches, whom the council says it will communicate and engage with proactively.
For the businesses and families who use this stretch of seafront, the next months mean fences, a closed paddling pool and, if the council is right, arches built to carry King’s Road for another century.
