COUNCILLORS are calling for plans to modernise a large part of the city’s coastline, which they say has been neglected.
Conservative councillors Robert Nemeth and Samer Bagaeen say that Brighton’s Undercliff Walk requires accessible toilets, changing facilities and beach-front defibrillators, to bring it in-line with other areas of the city.
The pair say that the three-mile stretch, which runs from behind Asda in Brighton Marina to the Brighton and Hove City boundary in Saltdean, has been “overlooked” for funding.
“The Undercliff represents a third of Brighton and Hove’s coastline, but it is not getting the attention and the funding from the council that it deserves,” said Cllr Nemeth, the Conservative Environment, Transport and Sustainability spokesman.
“It is a much loved and much used area, but resident groups have been telling us that a raft of facilities need to be modernised.
“One obvious example is the need to address the lack of Changing Places facilities for people with a disability. The council currently has seven such facilities either built or planned across the city, but none along the Undercliff Walk.”
Changing Places are toilets with enough space for disabled people and their carers, according to the Brighton and Hove City Council website.
The councillors are also calling for new beach huts at the stretch of coast near Saltdean, larger public waste bins, and restoration of rusting seafront railings.
Cllr Samer Bagaeen said that part of the problem was the lack of “strategic approach” for the area in the city council’s thinking.
“Other stretches of the seafront, such as Black Rock and Kingsway-to-the-Sea, have a strategic planning focus which helps gain external funding and improve facilities," he said.
“We need to see a proper plan for the Undercliff, and to make sure it gets the attention it deserves - and this is what this motion calls for.
“It is important to remember that Undercliff Walk serves an additional purpose as a defence against potential rising sea levels, which underscores the importance of a plan to remediate against further cliff face erosion.”
The councillors will table the motion at a council meeting tonight.
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