Work on Black Rock redevelopment in Brighton to start in February

It is planned that the project to reimagine the land at Black Rock will begin in mid-February.

The site at the end of Madeira Drive has been empty for more than 40 years after the Black Rock lido closed in the late 1970s.

But plans (below) approved in June last year detailed a major £12 million makeover which featured a new entrance to the site, intended to make it easier for people to come and go from the Asda car park at Brighton Marina on foot and by bike.

Plans for Black Rock released last year

The scheme also included weatherproofing the 19th century reading room and temple, building a public toilet and a “pump bike track”.

In a statement released today, Brighton and Hove City Council said the first order of business would be to give nearby Duke's Mound a facelift in the next few weeks.

• READ MORE: Long-awaited plans for Black Rock finally revealed

There are currently large, non-native plants which are overgrown in the area, affecting access to the area and visitor's views of the sea.

These will be cut back in the hope that "more native plant biodiversity" grow in their place.

Councillor Tom Druitt, chairman of the Black Rock working group, said: "Increasing local biodiversity in our city is a vital step in fighting the ongoing biodiversity emergency that we face.

Duke's Mound

"We need to act now to make a real difference and removing the wildly overgrown tamarisk to allow the native species to thrive, will bring local grassland habitats back to life.

"The tamarisk was introduced many years ago and has grown so extensively it has prevented light reaching the ground, limiting all other species and discouraging people from accessing the area - removing them will bring this area back into use for everyone and make it more of a pleasure to visit.

• READ MORE: Black Rock plan for Brighton seafront approved

"Now more than ever, as we enter a post-Covid world of outdoor leisure spaces, we want to make sure these precious spaces are available for use by everyone."

Jon Bannister of Land Use Consultants, who are partnering with the council on this project, warned that Duke's Mound would "look rather bare for 2021" as the mission to replace the invasive species began.

Black Rock

"But, once the chalk grassland seed has started to take and to grow through the summer months, we will see the new species beginning to develop into a more colourful and attractive area which will also encourage greater variety of wildlife," he reassured visitors.

Trial removals of some of the tamarisk in the area has yielded positive results, the council said, and so the authority plans to press on with the cutting back of the species over a four to six-week period.

About three-quarters of the non-native bushes are due to be removed as part of this stage of the project.

Duke's Mound

A council spokesman said: "Indigenous Sussex seeds will be supplied by The Millennial Seed Bank, which will be sown in a subsequent contract in March, using specialist techniques to cope with the steep slopes.

"The new habitat will start to emerge progressively over the next few years and will include species such as rampion, mullein and bird’s foot trefoil in addition to local grass species from the Downs.

"The works form part of the recently approved Black Rock regeneration scheme, which will also include widespread beach habitat creation in the area and refurbishment of the Grade II listed buildings on the site, the temple and reading room."