Brighton council to build A259 cycle lane to Lagoon

The money will be used to build a new cycle lane between Hove Lawns and Hove lagoon and one planned for Marine Parade has been postponed.

Some £1.2 million is being taken away from the Marine Parade project.

Cyclists will be able to travel on a new segregated lane between Hove Lagoon and Hove Lawns, as they can already, under £4 million plans set to be approved by Brighton and Hove City Council.

It comes amid a raft of changes outlined in the council's five-year plan set to be discussed at its first cabinet meeting next week.

Between Fourth Avenue and Hove Street, one lane of traffic will be removed to make way for the cycle lane, and between Hove Street and Wharf Road, the pavement will be cut back to make space for the lane.

The current cycle lane runs on the pavement, navigating round the King Alfred leisure centre to the south. The new one will see this removed and cyclists will remain on the new lane next to the A259.

Plans to build a new cycle lane on the A259 were initially set out by the previous Green administration in 2022.

Part of it was built between West Street and the end of Hove Lawns, with cyclists heading eastbound continuing to use the old lane and westbound cyclists using the new, segregated, lane which took over a lane of traffic.

The Labour administration stopped these bike lanes, which they called low quality, from continuing to the Lagoon, when they were elected last May.

Cllr Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm said: “This proposal will create a higher quality active travel and road system along the city’s seafront.

"We want to make it easier for residents and visitors to walk or cycle along our beautiful seafront while maintaining existing vehicle lanes where they are needed, keeping congestion to an absolute minimum."

The new A259 cycle lane will complement the Hove Beach Park which is currently being built.

An artists' impression of the Hove Beach Park (Image: Brighton and Hove City Council)

The design needs to be finalised and consulted upon with local residents.

More than £4 million will be spent on the bike lane project in total, which is more than the existing budget allocated for the scheme.

Council officers have proposed moving £1.2 million of Active Travel England funds set to go towards a bike lane in Marine Parade, where there is not a bike lane currently, to the Hove project. There is a cycle line on Madeira Drive below Marine Parade.

A council report said the new bike lane is essential since it would affect its "ability to bid for future funding for Highway schemes and may require the council to return funding that has been allocated towards these projects."

The Marine Parade plans were set out in May 2022 by the former Green council.

What the Marine Parade bike lane could have looked like

What else will the cabinet decide on?

Also in the council's plans is the consultation for the closure of Homewood College, a special school for 35 pupils with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs.

The number of children in need of SEMH support has increased from 212 in 2019 to a predicted 438 in 2026.

“We had to act to ensure that we increase provision and provide timely intervention, as early help is the most effective,” said Councillor Emma Daniel, cabinet member for children, families, and youth services.

The council's plan includes adding 219 spaces for students experiencing these issues.

These will be implemented in a four-tier system which includes support within mainstream schools, temporary placements in specialist schools, placements in special schools before they move to a mainstream school, and full-time special school places.

Homewood College (Image: Google Maps)

The cabinet is also set to decide on a £7.3 million boost to the voluntary sector.

The Thriving Communities Investment Fund will run between 2025 and 2029 to support small and medium-sized groups, who can bid to win money for their core and project costs.

Cllr Leslie Pumm, cabinet member for communities, equalities and human rights, said "Our city's community and voluntary sector is something to be proud of and will be an essential partner for the delivery of our goals as a Labour council.”

"The new Thriving Communities Investment Fund is investing in our city's communities, in their diversity and in empowering them.”

Council leader Bella Sankey has also continued her campaign to curb violence against women and girls through her cabinet.

a total of 11 per cent of recorded crime in the city is related to domestic abuse - although the council believes the true figure is much higher.

The council sets out to enact a city-wide plan to combat this - from improving street lighting to prioritising households fleeing abuse.