This has been baffling me for a couple for a couple of years now. The jewel in Brighton’s crown is clearly the Royal Pavilion.

People come from all over the world to see the Pavilion and its gardens. Approaching the Pavilion from North Street you are led along the centre strip of cobbles towards the beautiful Indian gate, through which can be seen the gate house with the green pavilion roof.

It would be nice if you could continue strolling underneath the archway and into the gardens; after all, you might have travelled thousands of miles to see this historic sight.

But you may not pass through the Indian gate – it is locked throughout the year, only being unlocked to allow cars into the gardens for functions.

Instead visitors to the Royal Pavilion are funnelled through two small side entrances.

I have heard various reasons for this mean spiritedness: “We don’t want cars driving in” – well, there is a bollard right in front of the gate to stop cars. “We need to see who is coming into the gardens”– clearly security could be an issue but how does keeping the main entrance to the palace gardens locked help security?

The classic reason is “to stop cyclists”. I believe you don’t stop cyclists by closing the main entrance to the gardens. You have to find other ways to stop cyclists – on-the-spot fines, perhaps.

Of course the gatehouse on the other side is also locked. With an anti-car bollard or two, why should visitors and locals not have the pleasure of walking underneath and through these structures? They were, after all, designed as magnificent entrances to the gardens and palace.

What do others think about this?

Piers Halliwell, Princes Road, Brighton