The Grade II* listed Madeira Terrace, Madeira Walk, lift tower and related buildings have been added to Historic England’s register of Heritage at Risk for 2020.
The news has been welcomed by the council as recognition of the area’s unique character. In addition, the ‘At Risk’ status can be beneficial when making bids for funding. Both the Royal Pavilion Gardens and Stanmer Park attracted funding following their inclusion on the At Risk register.
Last year, Historic England reviewed the listing of Madeira Terrace. After careful consideration, its listed status was upgraded from Grade II to Grade II* on account of the structure’s historic and architectural importance.
The elevated listing meant that Madeira Terrace could be considered for inclusion on the Heritage at Risk Register for the first time. The council was keen to illustrate how Madeira Terrace is a special and unusual piece of seafront heritage, which gives unique character to the eastern seafront of Brighton & Hove.
Following an assessment visit, Heritage England wrote to the council confirming their decision to include Madeira Terrace, Madeira Walk, lift tower and related buildings on the Heritage at Risk Register. The letter states:
“Inclusion of a building is not a criticism of those responsible for the building. Rather, it is an indication that those who are caring for an important part of the country’s heritage are facing significant challenges, which may require more resources than they can find locally.
“The aim of the Register is to keep attention focused on these buildings, to act as a working tool to help define the scale of the problem, and to prioritise action by Historic England, local authorities, funding bodies and others who can play a part in making these irreplaceable buildings safe and sustainable for future generations.”
Historic England has also offered to lend its support for the council’s restoration plans.
Councillor Clare Rainey, lead member for the Madeira Terrace Project Board said:: “We are pleased Historic England has recognised the unique and special character of Madeira Terrace and surrounding buildings, and the urgent need for its restoration.
“We remain committed to restoring Madeira Terrace and the message from Historic England is that we must act as swiftly as possible to protect this precious asset. This is why cross party support was given to appointing a design team in 2019. This team is now making preparations for the first phase of restoration.
“The At Risk status will help us to explore relevant funding opportunities to restore the whole of Madeira Terrace for future generations.”
To keep up to date with the project visit the webpages: https://new.brighton-hove.gov.uk/madeira-terrace-restoration
Concept design work for the Madeira Terrace restoration project was unanimously given the go ahead by Policy & Resources Committee on Thursday, 8 October.
Additional funding was dedicated to the Madeira Terrace project at the Budget Council meeting on Thursday 27 February.
We have awarded the contract for the architect that will lead the design team for the first phase of restoration.