Viva Brighton Issue #77 July 2019

BUILT BRIGHTON
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Valley Gardens
Central reservation to Central Park?
There are ‘around
147’ parks and
gardens in our city
according to the
council’s Open Space,
Sport and Recreation
Study (2009). They
cover an area of 1,200
hectares (3000 acres in
old money). Sounds a
lot, but Stanmer Park
is the biggest, and
accounts for about a
third of this. I never think of it as a park, it’s more
like a bit of the countryside so it distorts things
a bit; maybe we’re a bit short of public space?
Preston Park is probably the best known, given
the events that happen there, such as the start of
the Brighton Marathon and the Pride festival.
But there’s one important park that we all know,
yet is currently a bit unloved. You could call
it our Central Park, given its location, but we
know it as Valley Gardens, the public space that
stretches from near the Palace Pier to St Peter’s
Church. Valley Gardens is also a conservation
area (designated in 1973) and is both junction
and central reservation for the three major traffic
routes into the city. It includes some of the earliest
buildings from Brighton’s Regency period.
At the moment it’s really complicated to cycle
around and not very pleasant to use if you’re
walking or driving. Congested and confusing,
with large open spaces that are an important
green lung for the city, but it’s very under-used.
The current works at Valley Gardens are a multimillion
pound council-led project, with most of
the cash coming from central government, plus
some additional funds
from various bids and
local contributions.
So what are we
getting for those
millions? Well, nearly
a hectare more public
space, with places
to plant more trees,
better cycling routes,
(not shared with
the pavement) and
better walking routes
connecting the city’s streets more directly. More
generous areas near the pier, which is very busy
at times – ever tried cycling through there? The
plan is also to make Madeira Drive one-way,
heading towards the marina. Seems like a good
idea, as it’s a slightly crazy drive at the moment.
Buses will continue to run though the area
and the cute art deco bus shelters are staying,
apparently. Cars are moved to the east side of the
Old Steine in an attempt to make the gardens
feel a bit more linked to the city centre.
At the moment the park feels like a giant traffic
island. If this scheme, being implemented by
local practice Project Centre, works it will
make the whole area a lot more pleasant to use,
whichever way you choose to pass through it.
I’d like to see maybe a couple of new buildings
there too – maybe an amazing café and perhaps
a space that Brighton University could use to
showcase their extraordinary design talent. And
why not commission some world-class public art
to welcome visitors to our city? Let’s do that in
the next phase…
Paul Zara
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