This week the Conservative Compromise proposal to reopen Madeira Drive as a reconfigured one-way street received the ‘Green’ light from the new Council Administration.
This is great news for businesses and disability groups who will have their access restored - but also walkers and cyclists that have been enjoying using Madeira Drive since the pandemic. It also offers some hope for the restoration of Madeira Terraces.
The compromise proposal was put together by Conservative Transport Spokesman Councillor Lee Wares back in July after engagement with businesses and disability groups struggling in the aftermath of the road’s closure.
The closure of Madeira Drive implemented by the Council during the lockdown, while enjoyed by some, caused great concern and hardship for others.
Businesses on Madeira Drive reported that the closure was severely impacting their trade, with some reporting they would not be paying their rent to the council as a result.
Disability groups were aghast at the loss of access to the seafront road and upset people with a disability could not to use the disabled toilets on Madeira Drive without having to ask permission from a steward.
They felt the proposal had been implemented in a discriminatory and underhanded way and disputed whether the council had properly consulted disability groups before applying for funding. Possability People, who work with disabled people, older people and young people or anyone with an impairment or long term health condition, even put out a strong press release denying that the council had consulted with them.
Blue badge holders were so concerned that they formed a new organisation called Brighton Access For Disabled Groups.
Neighbouring retail areas were also impacted, with a knock-on effect in the wider Kemptown area and the Marina with displaced parking; and Brighton Pier linking the closure to a downturn in trade.
And the City’s finances took a hit, with the tap being turned off on parking revenue along the Madeira Drive.
The compromise
The Conservatives were concerned about all these issues and Transport Spokesman Councillor Lee Wares stood alone amongst his counterparts in working to build a compromise proposal after listening, consulting and engaging with the impacted groups.
The Conservative Compromise, put together in July, has 3 parts:
- Re-open Madeira Drive as a one-way traffic flow, with parking, along the northern side of Madeira Drive from the Aquarium to Duke’s Mound
- Convert the southern beach-facing carriageway, with parking bays suspended, to a new two-way physically separated cycle lane, with the pavement dedicated to pedestrians.
- When the pandemic is over, and legislation no longer supports the temporary measures, Madeira Drive would revert back to its “pre-Covid” arrangement and then the city can have a well-informed and democratic discussion about its future.
The Conservatives put forward this proposal at the August Full Council meeting, backed by the strong support of the Madeira Drive traders and a 10,000 strong petition calling for the reopening of the road. That this was one of the highest signed petitions in the history of Brighton & Hove City Council tells its own story about the depth of feeling about the closure.
But despite the strong public sentiment, the other parties voted against the Conservative Compromise proposal, to the dismay of disability groups and traders.
The damage to the Council’s reputation at that meeting was high, with a petition of No confidence in Brighton & Hove City Council circulating soon after.
Now the Greens have ‘back-pedalled’ and signalled their support for the plan this week and we are of course pleased to see this change.
It is just a shame they have taken so long and as a result, traders and disability groups have suffered more than was necessary.
What the council needs to do is get on with making the changes now.
They removed the cycle lane by the pier in a matter of days of the bus companies raising concerns and altered Duke’s Mound end without coming to Committee - so they can do the same with reopening Madeira Drive.
Building on the Conservative Compromise
The Council now has a great opportunity to build on the Conservative Compromise.
With parking revenue set to be collected again, estimated in council papers to be £1 million a year, the Council should seize the initiative and consider the recommendation of the ‘Save the Arches’ petitioners to devote all parking revenue collected on Madeira Drive to the restoration of the Madeira Terraces.
This would add to the £11 million secured by the Conservative Group for the restoration of the Madeira Arches by Conservative Group Finance Spokesperson Councillor Joe Miller, including money already crowd-funded by members of the public.
The reopening of Madeira Drive should be the start of an exciting regeneration project for the seafront that restores our heritage and returns Madeira Terraces to its former glory.
