Work to convert three art-deco style bus shelters into a café and “flexible use” spaces has been given the green light.
The Grade II listed bus stops on the west side of Old Steine, Brighton, will become redundant when phase three of the Valley Gardens projects sees the road pedestrianised.
An application was submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council last year so the structures can be put to good use – and it has just been approved.
The city council is extending one of the shelters and turning it into a café with an accessible toilet, with the remaining two operating as “flexible” spaces, though it is thought they will be food and drink outlets.
Shutters will be fixed to the structures with hopes of preventing any vandalism, an issue which has plagued the area for years.
A heritage statement submitted with the plans said: “The structures will no longer be used as bus shelters in the future due to the Valley Gardens redevelopment.
“The shelters are in poor condition and regularly vandalised with graffiti and broken windows.
“The proposal will retain the existing structure while upgrading and safeguarding them by providing a new use.”
The shelters were originally built in 1949 and took inspiration from an old tram stop building in Steine Gardens.
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Phase three of the Valley Gardens project, set to begin in winter 2024, is an effort by the city council to create a “sustainable transport corridor”.
The area will undergo a complete transformation with a cycle path along Grand Parade, plenty of new pedestrian crossings, improved lighting, new bus stops, and the roundabout at the Palace Pier scrapped in favour of a junction and traffic lights.
Labour councillor Gary Wilkinson said: “The vision for Valley Gardens, which was started by Labour, was to enhance the area’s green spaces and create new public spaces for people to spend time in, which will be linked together to create a single continuous public park.”
The city council is now in the process of appointing a contractor to undertake the build.
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