Valley Gardens 3 Officially Opens in Brighton: £12.8m Old Steine Revamp Complete
Valley Gardens Phase 3 has officially opened in Brighton. Brighton and Hove City Council opened the final phase on Friday 16 October 2026 with a ceremonial switch-on of the Victoria Fountain by the Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler. The £12.8m scheme runs from St Peter's Church to the seafront and includes 500 metres of separated cycle lane, 35 more trees, 25 new benches and a new junction in place of the Aquarium roundabout. Watch the aerial views, the before and after pictures and the fountain switch-on. Full story, cost and timeline on imjustbrighton.co.uk. Footage: Brighton and Hove City Council.
Brighton & Hove City Council officially opened the third and final phase of the Valley Gardens project on Friday 16 October 2026, marking the occasion with a ceremonial switch-on of the Victoria Fountain in the Old Steine. The council says the opening completes a scheme that now runs from St Peter’s Church, through Valley Gardens and the Old Steine, to a new traffic-light junction at the Aquarium that leads to the seafront.
Phase 3 had a total budget of £12.8m, according to the council. It includes 500 metres of separated cycle lane, a new junction in place of the Aquarium roundabout, a new public space between the Royal Pavilion and the War Memorial, 35 additional trees and 25 new benches. The first public consultation on a vision for Valley Gardens was held in September 2013. This is what has been built, why, what it cost and who paid.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council news release, Valley Gardens 3 officially opened, 16 October 2026
Jump to: the photo gallery or the interactive history, from fishermen’s nets to the fountain switch-on.
What Phase 3 includes
The council’s Phase 3 project page also lists a taxi rank near the Palace Pier junction and bus shelters with real-time information. It names FM Conway as the contractor.
Before and after
The council released six before and after pairs with its opening press pack. We have used all of them, starting with the one between the Royal Pavilion and the War Memorial. The date tags come from the picture files themselves: five of the six “before” photographs carry a July 2024 date, the Aquarium one carries none, and the council did not label the “after” pictures beyond saying they show the finished scheme.
The other five pairs sit beside the part of the scheme they show, further down.
The opening day
Councillors, officers and invited guests gathered to look at the new public spaces and cycle lane and to explore the relandscaped Steine Gardens, the council said. The Victoria Fountain was switched on as part of the ceremony.
The council’s Instagram stories credited the switch-on to the Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler, and the file name of the council’s own photograph on its news release names the three people in it: Councillor Muten, the Mayor, Councillor Fowler, and Councillor Sankey. In the picture the Mayor stands in her chain of office between Councillor Muten and Council Leader Bella Sankey.
The council’s Instagram story of the moment is shown here in full. Its caption reads: “The opening was marked by the ceremonial switch on of Victoria Fountain by @mayorofbrightonandhove”.
Council Leader Bella Sankey said the area had drawn praise from residents.
“Valley Gardens looks absolutely fantastic and it’s been great to hear so much positive feedback from residents. Walking down from St Peter’s Church all the way to the seafront is a delight and this investment is just one of many ways we’re improving the look and feel of Brighton & Hove.”
Bella Sankey, Council Leader
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, called the project a success and said it was about more than traffic.
“Valley Gardens 3 is a real success and replaces a tired and shabby part of the city with new roads, pavements, cycle lanes and open spaces, all while making sure people can move around in safety and comfort.”
“But Valley Gardens is far more than a transport project. The improvements to the public realm mean it’s now a destination people can come to sit and relax or attend new outdoor events.”
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure
The council also marked the opening with Instagram stories, including drone footage captioned “Valley Gardens Phase 3 is complete!”
The Victoria Fountain
The fountain is the centrepiece of the Old Steine gardens. The council says it was inaugurated on 25 May 1846, Queen Victoria’s 27th birthday, after John Cordy Burrows commissioned it from the architect Amon Henry Wilds. It was listed Grade II on 13 October 1952. Its history is set out on the council’s page about the 2023 restoration.
That restoration cost £400,000. The fountain was switched off and dismantled in December 2022, taken to Leicester for specialist repairs, then rebuilt in the Old Steine from April 2023 on a new reinforced concrete base with new electrics, pumps and a colour-changing lighting scheme. The project later won a regional award from the Institution of Structural Engineers, the council said.
In June 2024 the water stopped flowing. The council told Brighton and Hove News a small leak had been found in an underground pipe and that the fountain was out of action for just over a week. At the time it also said grass worn by the Spiegeltent in May would be restored as part of Phase 3 rather than before it. The Steine Gardens were used as a construction compound during the work. In May 2025 the council had said work would move to the eastern side of Steine Gardens in the following months. Its March 2026 update said work on the new paths and green space inside the gardens was due to start soon, and its May 2026 project update said they were being relandscaped with new diagonal paths. Guests at the opening explored the relandscaped gardens.
Where the money came from
The council says Phase 3 had a total budget of £12.8m. It lists four sources: £6m from the Local Growth Fund, paid by the former Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, £2.3m of Department for Transport funding from the Local Transport Grant, Local Transport Plan and Bus Service Improvement Plan, £0.5m of developer contributions and £4m of council borrowing.
The budget has moved a lot over the years. When Coast to Capital confirmed the £6m grant in January 2019, the council put the estimated cost at £7.84m, with £1.84m of its own money, in its announcement. It repeated that figure when it opened the final consultation in July 2020. By January 2022 the council said the projected cost was nearly £13m, after pandemic delays, design changes and higher construction and materials costs, and that up to £5m of borrowing would support the funding.
The £6m itself was first earmarked in July 2014, when the government set aside £14m for the scheme: £8m for phases 1 and 2 and a further £6m that could extend the work to the seafront, the council said at the time.
The final £12.8m budget is a little below the 2022 headline, and it is a budget, not a final bill. The council’s Phase 3 project page lists £6m from the Local Growth Fund, £2.84m of match funding and £4m of capital borrowing, which adds up to about £12.84m. The opening release splits the same total differently: £6m, £2.3m from the Department for Transport, £0.5m from developers and £4m of borrowing.
Phases 1 and 2 were finished in September 2020 and cost £11m, the council says. Putting the two sets of figures together gives about £23.8m for the whole route from St Peter’s Church to the seafront. That sum is ours, not a council figure. The 2014 plan put the whole scheme at £20m, with the first two phases due to finish in 2017.
How the dates slipped
The council’s own forecasts for when the work would happen kept moving. These are the dates it gave at the time.
The first two phases
Phases 1 and 2 ran from St Peter’s Church to the Old Steine. The council awarded the building contract to Dyer and Butler, part of MGroup Services, on 2 August 2018. Agreed funding was £10.126m, of which £8m came from the Local Enterprise Partnership, and building was due to start that September and take about two years, the council said. In early September 2019 general traffic was switched to the eastern side of the gardens so shared space could be built on the west, according to the council’s works update.
The two phases were finished in September 2020, through the Covid-19 pandemic, at a cost of about £11m, the council said. It marked the moment with a film of the new gardens.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens completed phases 1 and 2
The council also lists 2,900 square metres of additional green space, 1,300 square metres of wildflower meadow, 17,800 square metres of resurfaced roads, 1,500 metres of shared and on-street cycle facilities and two new public squares and event spaces.
The first two phases were nominated for the Major Project Award at the UK Highways Awards 2021, with the ceremony in London on 20 October, the council said. In November 2022 they were highly commended in the Landscape and Public Realm category at the Architects’ Journal Architecture Awards, finishing as runners up, and the judges said the project had “delivered a massive amount on a small budget”, according to the council.
Valley Gardens by the numbers
Our sums use council figures: £11m for phases 1 and 2 plus the £12.8m Phase 3 budget, 560m plus 500m of cycle route, and 135 trees plus 35. The 560m and 135 trees come from the council’s page on phases 1 and 2. Treat them as our arithmetic, not council totals.
Lighting was part of the plan too. In October 2021 the council won £162,000 from the Safer Streets Fund to upgrade streetlighting around the Old Steine, with further improvements promised when Phase 3 was built, the council said. Phase 3 now lists improved lighting around the Old Steine among its features.
Why the council did it
The council’s case for the Phase 3 design rested on safety. In October 2018 it said the Old Steine to Palace Pier area had the highest collision rate in the city, with 154 collisions over five years, 30 of them causing serious injury, and that cyclists were disproportionately likely to be involved, according to its consultation announcement. Its frequently asked questions page calls the two junctions in the area the worst performing in the city and says the Palace Pier junction was reported nationally as one of the 20 worst roundabouts.
“The existing area at the A23/A59 junction is the most hazardous in the city and so it is important that we make improvements to make it safer and easier for all transport users.”
Councillor Gill Mitchell, then chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, October 2018
The business case sent to Coast to Capital in December 2018 set out benefits from fewer collisions and casualties, more public space, walking and cycling benefits and increased land values, the council said. In 2015 the council had claimed about £40m of benefits over 20 years for phases 1 and 2 alone, which it said were assessed by Parsons Brinckerhoff as “very high value for money”, according to its announcement at the time.
The Aquarium junction
The most visible change is at the seafront end. The roundabout by the Palace Pier has been replaced by a junction with traffic lights and new crossings for pedestrians and cyclists. The old roundabout and traffic islands were removed in overnight closures early in 2026. The council’s final months update, published on 26 March 2026, said new islands would be built from 13 April, which would need temporary traffic lights for four to five weeks, and that the Marine Parade crossing would stay closed during that work. It also planned overnight resurfacing from 19 April for two weeks, with the junction closed between 8pm and 6am, and the Madeira Drive entrance shut to vehicles overnight but open to pedestrians and cyclists, with business access from Duke’s Mound.
“The new junction is going to make traffic flow easier and crossing from Steine Gardens to the seafront much safer.”
“We’ve deliberately planned this part of the work to avoid the Easter holidays and peak tourist season and will be carrying out the resurfacing overnight when traffic counts are much lower.”
Councillor Trevor Muten, 26 March 2026
The new lights started working on 21 May, the council’s May update said. It said the junction runs in phases, so traffic turning from the A259 into the Old Steine gets its green at a different time from traffic going ahead, and that linking the signals with nearby junctions would carry on into the summer. It also said an eastbound lane would stay closed because of building work at the Royal Albion hotel, so the junction would not run at full capacity until that work finished.
The council’s own “after” photograph of the space outside the hotel still shows scaffolding and hoardings on the building.
The Royal Albion Hotel: a fire, a closed road and a room with a past
Few buildings have shaped the Valley Gardens story as much as the Royal Albion Hotel. The Grade II* listed hotel opened in 1826, according to Wikipedia, and its western side was gutted by a fire on 15 July 2023. In May 2025 the council said the works had removed the old traffic island in front of the hotel, opening up space for wider pavements, cycle lanes and trees.
On 21 February 2025 the council closed the A259 beside the hotel with immediate effect. Brighton and Hove News reported that a structural engineer working for the contractor on site had said the structure and its scaffolding were at risk of “catastrophic failure”, and that the council had told the owner, Britannia Hotels, to make the building safe and pay for the work. The road reopened in stages from 6 March 2025 after the dangerous sections were demolished, the same outlet reported, with part of the left-turn lane in front of the hotel kept shut for further demolition.
The hotel was still a factor in 2026. The council’s May update said an eastbound lane at the new junction would stay closed because of work at the hotel, so the junction would not run at full capacity until that work was done.
On 6 July 2026 Brighton and Hove News reported that Britannia Hotels had applied to refurbish the existing Grade II* building and bring 101 rooms back into use. The application says that work would help finance a new hotel on the western half of the site, but no plans for that have been submitted yet.
And then there is the gossip. On 3 August 2026 archaeologists at UCL announced that they had identified the room where Oscar Wilde stayed at the hotel. Dr Michael Shapland, who was brought in as a heritage adviser after the fire, matched Wilde’s description in his 1895 trial testimony to the plans of the building and found a surviving wall and a blocked fireplace from the original suite. UCL said Wilde stayed one night in September 1894 with Alphonse Conway, after the pair travelled by boat from Worthing.
The War Memorial and the new public space
The gardens already had special protection. In November 2018 the Old Steine Gardens and War Memorial were designated a Centenary Field by the Royal British Legion and Fields in Trust, one of four sites in Brighton and Hove marked on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1, the council said.
The new square between the Royal Pavilion and the War Memorial was in use by 30 June 2026, when the council rededicated the memorial during the annual commemoration of the Battle of the Boar’s Head, hosted by the Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler. The battle was fought on 30 June 1916 and the council says 366 men from the South Downs Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment were killed.
The work included new paving, a restored Battle of the Boar’s Head plaque set in a new stone, and new flagpoles at the north of the memorial paid for by Sussex Freemasons. Councillor Muten said the new space reconnected the memorial with people who want to stop and reflect.
“No longer isolated in the middle of a busy road, and with new landscaping and flowers on the way at the Old Steine, it means remembrance events like this one can be held in a space more fitting to the occasion.”
Councillor Trevor Muten, 30 June 2026
Castle Square and St James’s Street
The council announced the start of Phase 3 on 15 November 2024. Work began on Monday 18 November with overnight resurfacing at Castle Square and a new bus stop, a first stage it expected to take around three weeks. Councillor Trevor Muten said Castle Square was “in desperate need of resurfacing and improvement”. The council also said the large traffic island south of the Old Steine would be removed before Christmas and that the contractor, FM Conway, would set up a compound in Steine Gardens from January.
By January 2025 Castle Square had been resurfaced and the large island near the Royal Albion removed, and work moved to the St James’s Street junction, the council said. The entrance to the street was due to close for around two weeks from Monday 10 February, with buses diverting along the seafront and Lower Rock Gardens and a temporary stop south of St James’s Street. The scheme adds resurfaced pavements, a better crossing near Princes Street and an extra-wide loading bay for coaches.
Getting around: buses, crossings and parking
Bus stops moved during the works. When the council announced the Castle Square resurfacing in November 2024, it said the work would include a new bus stop. In October 2025 the council said the Royal Pavilion stops would close, with new stops opening north of the War Memorial and at Castle Square, and the Old Steine was resurfaced overnight from 12 to 26 October, according to its update at the time.
In the month before that update the council said work had begun on the cycle lane beside the Royal Pavilion, on new traffic signals and crossings at Edward Street and St James’s Street, on a wider pavement near Pool Valley and on connecting new street lighting. The A23 closed south of Marlborough Place overnight, between 8pm and 6am, during the resurfacing, and the A259 stayed open. The council’s project page had said the power and real-time information for the Castle Square stop would follow once scaffolding was removed. In March 2026 the council said new bus shelters had been installed.
The works were not without complaints. In February 2026 a father told Brighton and Hove News that disabled bays on Madeira Drive had been suspended so the contractor could store materials. Councillor Muten said the finished scheme would bring better accessibility and additional disabled bays.
Events, street art and the ice rink
The council’s May update said the old art deco bus shelters outside the Royal Pavilion would be fenced off for now, then repainted and tidied later. In the longer term they are meant for pop-up events, and power and water connections are already in. The council has also asked artists to bid to paint five new utility cabinets around the Old Steine, to deter tagging. According to Brighton and Hove News, two cabinets south of the Old Steine would have a Palace Pier theme and three by the shelters a Royal Pavilion or art deco theme, with £2,000 in total on offer.
Events were part of the design from the start. The council said in 2019 that Valley Gardens already hosted Brighton Fringe, the Ladyboys of Bangkok and The Warren, with the Brighton Marathon and Pride parade passing through, and promised power, fresh water and access points for event vehicles, so diesel generators would no longer be needed, the council said. After phases 1 and 2 opened, councillors approved a three-year Christmas market on the gardens, run by E3 Events from 26 November to 31 December, which would use the power, water and drainage built into the scheme, according to a council announcement in March 2021.
The Old Steine is also the council’s preferred new home for the city’s ice rink from 2027. We covered that in our report on the ice rink moving to the Old Steine.
The arguments along the way
Valley Gardens has been argued over for years. The council’s plan was approved after three public consultations and design workshops, but critics raised concerns at several points.
The council says the new layout will improve traffic flow and safety. Whether it does will only be clear once there are figures on journey times, congestion and collisions.
The Old Steine: a little history and some gossip
The Old Steine was public ground long before it was a road scheme. The Brighton Toy Museum describes it as stony, boggy ground at the foot of the valley, where fishermen dried their nets and where a stream that ran underground came out on its way to the sea. The council’s heritage record says the gardens were turfed and enclosed in 1778 and that the stream, the Wellesbourne, was put in a culvert in 1793.
The best gossip belongs to the Prince of Wales, later George IV. On 15 December 1785 he secretly married Maria Fitzherbert in London. She was a twice-widowed Roman Catholic, and because he did not have his father’s permission the marriage was not legal under the Royal Marriages Act. He married Princess Caroline of Brunswick in 1795, resumed his relationship with Maria in 1804 and had Steine House built for her close to the Royal Pavilion, though the pair never lived together. She died there in 1837, according to My Brighton and Hove.
The Prince has a second connection with the spot. A bronze statue of George IV by Sir Francis Chantrey was unveiled in the Old Steine in 1828, according to Wikipedia. It was moved in 1922 to near the Royal Pavilion’s north gate, where it still stands, to make way for the War Memorial that now sits at the centre of the new public space.
The architect Amon Henry Wilds links two of the area’s landmarks. He designed the Royal Albion Hotel, which opened in 1826 on the site of Dr Richard Russell’s house, and the council says the Victoria Fountain was commissioned from him. Dr Russell, who promoted drinking and bathing in sea water, built that house beside the Steine in 1753.
The timeline below runs from those early days to the switch-on on 16 October 2026. Tap an entry to open it, use the buttons to filter by theme, or open them all.
How it got here: the interactive history
Early daysBoggy ground and drying netsHistory
The Steine was stony, boggy ground at the foot of the valley, where fishermen dried their nets. Their right to keep using it helped stop the land being built on. An intermittent stream, known as the Wellesbourne, ran along its western side.
Source: Brighton Toy Museum, Brighton & Hove City Council heritage record
1753Dr Russell builds beside the SteineHistory
Dr Richard Russell (1687 to 1759), the doctor who promoted drinking and bathing in sea water, built a house on the south side of the Steine. The Royal Albion Hotel now stands on the site.
Source: Brighton Toy Museum, Wikipedia
1778The gardens are enclosedHistory
The council’s heritage record says the Old Steine Gardens were turfed and enclosed, with formal promenades laid out.
15 December 1785The secret marriageGossip
Maria Fitzherbert, a twice-widowed Roman Catholic, married the Prince of Wales, later George IV, in a secret ceremony in Park Street, London. He did not have his father’s permission, so the marriage was not legal under the Royal Marriages Act. He married Princess Caroline of Brunswick on 8 August 1795.
Source: My Brighton and Hove
1793The stream goes undergroundHistory
The Wellesbourne was put in a culvert. The Brighton Toy Museum adds that the area was improved that year at the joint expense of the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Marlborough.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council heritage record, Brighton Toy Museum
1804 to 1837Steine House and Maria FitzherbertGossip
The Prince had Steine House built close to the Royal Pavilion for Maria. He resumed his relationship with her in 1804, but they never lived together. She died at Steine House in 1837, seven years after him, and is buried at St John the Baptist’s Catholic Church in Bristol Road, East Brighton.
Source: My Brighton and Hove
1823Ancient stones turn upHistory
Workers digging a trench in the Steine found the sarsen stones that now sit at the centre of the fountain pool. The same year, Dr Russell’s old house was demolished to make way for a hotel.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Wikipedia
5 August 1826The Royal Albion Hotel opensHistory
Amon Henry Wilds designed the hotel for the developer John Colbatch. The council says Wilds also designed the Victoria Fountain.
Source: Wikipedia, Brighton & Hove City Council
9 October 1828George IV gets a statueHistory
Sir Francis Chantrey’s bronze statue of George IV was unveiled in the Old Steine. The Brighton Toy Museum says about £3,000 was raised in subscriptions.
Source: Wikipedia, Brighton Toy Museum
1837The town says no to a fountainThe fountain
The Brighton commissioners declined to build a fountain to mark Queen Victoria’s accession. John Cordy Burrows then commissioned Amon Henry Wilds privately.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
25 May 1846The Victoria Fountain is inauguratedThe fountain
It was inaugurated on Queen Victoria’s 27th birthday, with a citywide celebration, a royal salute from the pier head and fireworks.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
1888The Egyptian Campaign MemorialHistory
A memorial to the Egyptian campaign was put up to the north of the gardens. It still stands just north of the War Memorial.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council heritage record, Wikipedia
7 October 1922The War Memorial is unveiledHistory
13 October 1952The fountain is listedThe fountain
The Victoria Fountain was listed as a Grade II structure.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
1990 to 1995The first big restorationThe fountain
Restoration work on the fountain began in 1990. On 25 May 1995 the Prince of Wales visited to unveil a plaque marking its completion.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
September 2013The first public visionPlanning and rows
The council shows people how Valley Gardens could look, with a tree-lined avenue and a “park road” for buses and cyclists. A two-week consultation from 16 September includes a pop-up “borrowed” garden by Brighton & Hove Food Partnership beside St Peter’s Church. The council says 83% of people asked the year before would spend more time there if it improved.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
July 2014Government money arrivesPlanning and rows
The council wins £895,000 from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, then learns £14m has been earmarked for the scheme under the Growth Fund: £8m for phases 1 and 2 and a further £6m that could extend it to the seafront and the Aquarium roundabout.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
October 2014The £20m planPlanning and rows
The first Valley Gardens plan is outlined at £20m, with a T-junction to replace the Aquarium roundabout and phases 1 and 2 due to finish in 2017.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
18 February 2015£8m confirmedPlanning and rows
Coast to Capital’s Local Transport Board confirms £8m of Local Growth Fund money for phases 1 and 2. The council’s business case claims about £40m of benefits over 20 years, which consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff call “very high value for money”.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
27 March 2015The Mazda fountain questionGossip
Plans for a rill and rain gardens in Victoria Gardens would see the Mazda fountain removed. The council notes it was built for the 1924 British Empire Exhibition at Wembley, moved to Brighton in 1930 and cost £8,000 to £9,000 a year to run, and says it will look for ways to re-use it.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
May to June 2018First Phase 3 consultationPlanning and rows
A scoping consultation from 21 May to 29 June gets 875 responses, and councillors approve eight core design objectives in June.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
2 August 2018Contract for phases 1 and 2Planning and rows
The council awards the contract to Dyer and Butler, part of MGroup Services. Agreed funding is £10.126m, with £8m from the Local Enterprise Partnership. Building is due to start in September and take about two years.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
9 October 2018Option 1 is chosenPlanning and rows
The committee approves a preferred design for the Old Steine to Palace Pier area and a six-week consultation from 15 October to 25 November. The council says the area has the highest collision rate in the city, 154 collisions in five years, 30 of them serious. Forty-four design options were whittled down to four and then to one.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
6 November 2018A Centenary FieldHistory
The Old Steine Gardens and War Memorial are designated a Centenary Field by the Royal British Legion and Fields in Trust, one of four Brighton and Hove sites marked on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
27 November 2018Phase 3 business case approvedPlanning and rows
The council committee approves the Phase 3 business case and a bid for £6m from the Local Growth Fund.
22 January 2019£6m bid succeedsPlanning and rows
Coast to Capital’s board confirms £6m of Local Growth Fund money for Phase 3 on 22 January. The council puts the estimated cost at £7.84m, with £1.84m of its own money, aims to deliver the scheme in 2020 and says the grant must be drawn down by March 2021.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
7 February 2019Design revised after 828 responsesPlanning and rows
The council says responses were favourable overall. Revisions include a southbound priority lane for buses, taxis and coaches, better junction alignments on the seafront, more blue badge and doctors’ bays and more direct footpaths across Steine Gardens.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
18 June 2019Events space and a central parkPlanning and rows
The council says Phase 3 will bring more events space and a new central park, with power, fresh water and access for event vehicles so diesel generators are no longer needed.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
2 September 2019Traffic switched for phases 1 and 2Building it
General traffic is moved to the eastern side of the gardens so shared space can be built on the west side.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
16 April 2019Green spaces fenced offBuilding it
The gardens in phases 1 and 2 are fenced and left fallow to restore the soil before new planting. The council says no trees will be removed because of the works and 152 new trees will be planted.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
28 March 2019A 1,400-name petitionPlanning and rows
More than 1,400 people had signed a petition asking the council to halt the third phase. Valley Gardens Forum member James Noble said: “My local takeaway sends out more leaflets than that.” The council said 828 people took part in its consultation.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
23 July 2019An audit is orderedPlanning and rows
The Audit and Standards Committee agreed to audit the scheme’s decision-making after a request from Conservative councillor Lee Wares, who warned of “silent creep” beyond the brief and financial limits. Businesses and residents had threatened legal action.
Source: Sussex Express
17 October 2019£6m is approvedPlanning and rows
The Coast to Capital board approves £6m of funding for Phase 3 at its meeting on 17 October, the council announces the next day, and says a task and finish group of councillors will be set up. Brighton and Hove News reports it as going towards an £8m scheme.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton and Hove News
January 2020The audit reportsPlanning and rows
Mr Wares called its conclusions “shocking” and a “box-ticking exercise”. Committee chair Leo Littman said the committee “must take the conclusions on face value”.
Source: Sussex Express
13 February 2020Funding agreement signedPlanning and rows
The council and Coast to Capital sign the funding agreement. Construction could start in spring 2021, and Coast to Capital agrees some flexibility on the spending deadline.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
17 July 2020Public consultation on the designPlanning and rows
An eight-week consultation runs until 16 September on details such as crossings, bus stops, parking, cycle parking, public art, seating and tree planting. The council puts the cost at £7.84m.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
18 September 2020Phases 1 and 2 are finishedPlanning and rows
The council marks the completion of the first two phases, which took two years and cost about £11m, with a film of the new gardens. Fencing has come down and residents are already using the spaces.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
11 March 2021Christmas market approvedPlanning and rows
Councillors approve a three-year Christmas market on Valley Gardens, run by E3 Events, using the power, water and drainage built into phases 1 and 2.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
23 September 2021Award nomination, and a later startPlanning and rows
Phases 1 and 2 are nominated for the Major Project Award at the UK Highways Awards. The council now says Phase 3 construction is scheduled for 2022.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
25 October 2021£162,000 for lightingPlanning and rows
The council wins money from the Safer Streets Fund to upgrade streetlighting around the Old Steine.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
18 January 2022Final designs approvedPlanning and rows
Councillors approve the detailed design. A call for an independent review is voted down. The council says the cost is now nearly £13m after pandemic delays, design changes and higher costs, with £1.84m of match funding and up to £5m of borrowing, and the Sussex Express reports the budget has risen from just under £8m.
November 2022Architecture award runner upPlanning and rows
Phases 1 and 2 are highly commended in the Landscape and Public Realm category at the Architects’ Journal Architecture Awards.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
December 2022 to October 2023The £400,000 restorationThe fountain
The fountain is switched off and taken to Leicester for specialist repairs. It returns to the Old Steine in April on a new reinforced concrete base, and a celebration marks its return on 12 October.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
15 July 2023Fire at the Royal AlbionBuilding it
A fire guts the western side of the Royal Albion Hotel. Investigators later find the likely cause was a discarded cigarette.
Source: Wikipedia
9 January 2024Green light to startPlanning and rows
After a detailed review of the plans, councillors ask officers to procure a contractor. The council says the adjustments include more space for buses to move in and out of stops, and an extra taxi rank near the Palace Pier junction. Work is expected to take around 18 months.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
June 2024The fountain springs a leakThe fountain
The water stops flowing months after the restoration. The council says a small leak was found in an underground pipe and the fountain is out of action for just over a week.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
15 November 2024Council confirms the start dateBuilding it
The council announces that Castle Square resurfacing and a new bus stop will start on Monday 18 November, a first stage of around three weeks with overnight closures from 8pm on 25 to 27 November and 2 to 4 December. It says the large traffic island south of the Old Steine will go before Christmas, and that FM Conway will set up a compound in Steine Gardens from January, with the fountain and northern part of the gardens still open. Drop-in sessions are held at Jubilee Library on 22 and 26 November. The council says the work should last until summer 2026. Councillor Trevor Muten says Castle Square is “in desperate need of resurfacing and improvement”.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton and Hove News
18 November 2024Work starts at Castle SquareBuilding it
Phase 3 begins with resurfacing at Castle Square. FM Conway is the contractor.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
January 2025St James’s StreetBuilding it
Castle Square has been resurfaced and the large island near the Royal Albion removed. Work moves to the St James’s Street junction, closing the entrance to the street for around two weeks from Monday 10 February. Buses divert along the seafront and Lower Rock Gardens, with a temporary stop south of St James’s Street. The scheme adds resurfaced pavements, a better crossing near Princes Street and an extra-wide loading bay for coaches.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
21 February 2025The seafront road closesBuilding it
The council closes the A259 beside the Royal Albion after an engineer reports a risk of “catastrophic failure”. It reopens in stages from 6 March.
May 2025The space outside the Royal AlbionBuilding it
The council says the old traffic island in front of the hotel has gone, with new crossings at St James’s Street, new paving on the eastern side of the Old Steine and more space for pedestrians near Princes Street.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
October 2025The west sideBuilding it
With the eastern side almost done, work moves to a new public square and cycle lane between the Royal Pavilion and the War Memorial. Overnight resurfacing runs from 12 to 26 October and the Royal Pavilion bus stops close.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
5 December 2025The roundabout goesBuilding it
The council announces that building of the new junction will begin in early January, with overnight work from 8pm for two weeks from Tuesday 6 January. Buses divert via West Street and the seafront, and A259 traffic from the east via Edward Street. Officers hold drop-in sessions at Jubilee Library on 8 and 21 January.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council, Brighton & Hove City Council
5 February 2026Disabled bays rowPlanning and rows
A father tells Brighton and Hove News that disabled bays on Madeira Drive have been taken over for the works. The council says it asked the contractor to use them only when absolutely necessary.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
26 March 2026Final monthsBuilding it
The council says new bus shelters are in, trees have been planted near the Royal Pavilion and War Memorial, and the new Aquarium junction traffic islands will be built from 13 April.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
21 May 2026The new lights go liveBuilding it
The new Aquarium junction traffic lights start working, the council says.
Source: May 2026 project update
30 June 2026The War Memorial is rededicatedBuilding it
The memorial is rededicated in its new setting during the annual commemoration of the Battle of the Boar’s Head, hosted by the Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
6 July 2026Plans for the Royal AlbionBuilding it
Britannia Hotels applies to refurbish the existing hotel and bring 101 rooms back into use.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
3 August 2026Oscar Wilde’s room is foundGossip
Archaeologists announce that they have identified the Royal Albion room where Oscar Wilde stayed for a night in September 1894.
Source: UCL
25 August 2026Art for the cabinetsBuilding it
Artists are invited to bid to paint five new utility cabinets around the Old Steine, with £2,000 on offer in total.
Source: Brighton and Hove News
16 October 2026Phase 3 officially opensBuilding it
The Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler, switches on the Victoria Fountain with Councillor Trevor Muten and Council Leader Bella Sankey, and the council declares the final phase complete. Phase 3 had a budget of £12.8m.
Source: Brighton & Hove City Council
The council had said in November 2024 and again in 2025 that it expected the work to finish by summer 2026. The official opening came on 16 October.
Questions people are asking
When did Valley Gardens Phase 3 open?
It was officially opened on Friday 16 October 2026 with a ceremonial switch-on of the Victoria Fountain in the Old Steine.
Who switched the Victoria Fountain on?
The council’s Instagram stories credited the Mayor, Councillor Theresa Fowler. Councillor Trevor Muten and Council Leader Bella Sankey were with her at the fountain.
How long did the work take?
Construction began with resurfacing at Castle Square in November 2024 and the scheme was officially opened on 16 October 2026, just under two years later.
How much did Valley Gardens Phase 3 cost?
The council gives a total budget of £12.8m.
Who paid for it?
£6m came from the Local Growth Fund, £2.3m from Department for Transport funding, £0.5m from developers and £4m from council borrowing, the council says.
Who built it?
FM Conway is named as the contractor on the council’s project page.
What happened to the Aquarium roundabout?
It has been replaced by a junction with traffic lights and crossings. The lights started working on 21 May 2026, according to the council.
Where is the new cycle lane?
The council describes 500 metres of separated cycle lane linking phases 1 and 2 with the seafront. Its works updates place part of it on the western side of the Old Steine, by the Royal Pavilion and Castle Square.
Is the Victoria Fountain working?
It was switched on in a ceremony on 16 October. It has had a leak before, in June 2024, which the council repaired within about a week.
Will the ice rink go on the Old Steine?
The council says it plans to bring the ice rink back in 2027 at the Old Steine. There is no rink this winter.
Are all the trees planted?
Not yet. The council says 35 additional trees are part of the scheme and 8 of them will be planted this autumn.
Why was the Aquarium roundabout replaced?
The council says the area had the highest collision rate in the city, with 154 collisions over five years and 30 serious injuries, and that its Palace Pier junction was reported nationally as one of the 20 worst roundabouts. It says a junction with traffic lights is predicted to reduce collisions and allows direct crossings for pedestrians and cyclists.
How much did the first two phases of Valley Gardens cost?
About £11m, the council says. £8m came from the Local Enterprise Partnership and the rest from developer contributions and the council’s Local Transport Plan budget.
Did Valley Gardens win any awards?
Phases 1 and 2 were nominated for the Major Project Award at the UK Highways Awards 2021 and highly commended in the Landscape and Public Realm category at the Architects’ Journal Architecture Awards in 2022.
When was Phase 3 meant to be finished?
In January 2019 the council aimed to deliver Phase 3 in 2020. By September 2021 it said work would begin in 2022. Building started in November 2024 and the scheme opened on 16 October 2026.
Who do I contact about the scheme?
The council’s project page gives transport.projects@brighton-hove.gov.uk for enquiries.
More is under Brighton and Hove City Council, transport, regeneration, Old Steine and cycle lane on ImJustBrighton.
Sources
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens 3 officially opened, 16 October 2026
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens Phase 3 overview
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens completed phases 1 and 2
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens 3 improvements entering final months
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens 3 moving into next phase
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens 3 taking shape
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Valley Gardens 3 improvements move to St James’s Street junction
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Laying the groundwork for Valley Gardens 3
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Celebrating the Victoria Fountain renovation
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Major award for restored Victoria Fountain
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Phase 3 business case decision, 27 November 2018
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2013: Discover the new Valley Gardens
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2014: Government backing for Valley Gardens
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2014: Valley Gardens money could tackle notorious seafront junction
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2015: £8m Valley Gardens improvements a step closer
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2015: Improved water features in Valley Gardens plan
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2018: Consultation on Valley Gardens Phase 3 goes ahead
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2018: Contract awarded for Valley Gardens project
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2018: Public have their say on next phase of Valley Gardens
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2018: Special status for the city’s war memorials
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Successful bid results in £6 million for Valley Gardens Phase 3
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Vision for Valley Gardens
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Public feedback helps shape redesign of Old Steine to Palace Pier area
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: More events space and new central park planned for Valley Gardens
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Valley Gardens 3 funding approved
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Valley Gardens works update, August 2019
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2019: Laying the groundwork for Valley Gardens green spaces
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2020: Valley Gardens 3 funding agreement signed
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2020: Have your say on Phase 3 of the Valley Gardens project
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2020: Celebrating completion of Valley Gardens 1 and 2
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2021: Valley Gardens nominated for major project award
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2021: Successful funding bid will mean safer streets in Brighton and Hove
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2021: Christmas market on Valley Gardens approved
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2022: Plans for final phase of Valley Gardens press forward
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2022: Further recognition for Circus Street and Valley Gardens projects at awards
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2024: Moving forward with Valley Gardens 3
- Brighton & Hove City Council, 2025: Work to begin on new Aquarium junction
- Brighton & Hove City Council, Frequently asked questions: Valley Gardens Phase 3
- Valley Gardens Phase 3 update newsletter, May 2026
- Brighton and Hove News: New look for Old Steine in £20m Valley Gardens makeover, 2 October 2014
- Brighton and Hove News: Controversial Brighton road layout scheme awarded £6m grant, 19 October 2019
- Sussex Express: Brighton’s Valley Gardens final designs approved, 20 January 2022
- Brighton and Hove News: Historic fountain stops working months after £400k restoration, 1 July 2024
- Brighton and Hove News: Groundwork set to begin on Old Steine roads revamp, 15 November 2024
- Brighton and Hove News: Disabled bays out of action for Valley Gardens work, 5 February 2026
- Brighton and Hove News: Artists invited to bid to decorate new Old Steine utility cabinets, 25 August 2026
- Brighton and Hove News: Petition urges council to pause work on Old Steine revamp, 29 March 2019
- Sussex Express: Audit to review controversial Old Steine revamp plan, 2019
- Sussex Express: Disappointment at results of audit into Valley Gardens project, 22 January 2020
- Brighton and Hove News: A259 Brighton seafront road closes over Royal Albion Hotel risk, 21 February 2025
- Brighton and Hove News: Seafront road to reopen this afternoon, 6 March 2025
- Brighton and Hove News: Royal Albion refurb plans submitted, 6 July 2026
- UCL: Oscar Wilde’s hotel room discovered at Brighton’s Royal Albion, 3 August 2026
- Brighton & Hove City Council: Old Steine and Old Steine Gardens heritage record
- Brighton Toy Museum: The Steine
- My Brighton and Hove: Maria Fitzherbert’s house in the Old Steine
- Wikipedia: Royal Albion Hotel
- Wikipedia: Statue of George IV, Brighton
- Wikipedia: Brighton War Memorial
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