Improvements to Brighton pathway to begin this month

As part of a project to improve access in the Happy Valley area, work on Old Parish Lane will get underway in the next couple of weeks.

The 1.5km (almost one mile) stretch of path will be made smoother and wider for better accessibility and cycling.

A “soft border” will also run alongside it for horse riders.

Councillor Trevor Muten, chairman of Brighton and Hove City Council’s transport and sustainability committee, said: “It’s great to see work about to get underway on the Old Parish Lane improvements.

“This is a very popular route. Making the path smoother and wider will make it much easier and more enjoyable for people to walk and cycle along the route, as well as for people with buggies, wheelchairs or mobility scooters.

“The Happy Valley area is one of the strategic routes included in our local cycling and walking infrastructure plan, so it’s very pleasing to see the start of work which will lead to much better access in that part of the city.”

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Contractors will begin setting up shortly, with the work expected to take between three and four months depending on weather conditions.

The Old Parish Lane bridleway will be closed from October 25 until the work is completed.

The work is being paid for with funding from the council’s carbon-neutral fund and the local transport plan.

The improvements will be similar to those carried out in 2021 along the path which links Woodingdean and Falmer and to the path which runs alongside Ditchling Road, carried out last year.

Improvements to Old Parish Lane form part of a wider project to improve paths in the Happy Valley area of the city, which includes a new behind-the-hedge path running parallel to Falmer Road between Warren Road and Brownleaf Road and extending the shared pedestrian and cycle path north from Brownleaf Road to the pedestrian crossing at the main entrance to Happy Valley Park.