Improving accessibility on our beaches and seafront
Access to Brighton & Hove’s world-famous beaches is being made easier for people with mobility issues with a new boardwalk, Changing Places toilet and all terrain wheelchairs available for hire.
The improvements are part of a package of measures put in place following recommendations from the Beach Accessibility Working Group.
Working together
The group includes representatives from Beach Access Team Brighton and Hove (BAT), originally supported by disability charity Scope and officers from the council’s seafront team, aims to improve beach access in Brighton & Hove. Its aim is to provide safe and independent access for wheelchair users and people with mobility impairments, over the shingle beaches and down to the shoreline.
A report being presented to the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture committee, highlights improvements that have already been made across the 13km stretch of the city’s seafront, along with future proposals.
Changing Places
Recent improvements include a ‘Changing Places’ facility, alongside the new public toilets near the refurbished Shelter Hall.
In central Brighton, near the Palace Pier, a new wheelchair accessible beach deck has been built. With its accessible picnic tables and sunshades, this accessible seating area gives priority to disabled people to enjoy spending time with friends and family on the beach.
An area has also been identified for a similar beach deck at Hove which could be developed if funding becomes available.
Black Rock boardwalk
Representatives from the Brighton & Hove Beach Accessibility Working Group are involved in planning and design discussions for seafront projects including the Black Rock rejuvenation.
The Black Rock boardwalk, which opened earlier this year, provides stable and fully level access to the beach from the Volk’s Railway Station at Black Rock to the Volk’s Workshop at the bottom of Dukes Mound.
The boardwalk is proving extremely popular with residents and visitors, providing an opportunity for those with limited mobility to get onto the beach rather than confined to the pavement or promenade.
Work is also due to start next month on a new wheelchair accessible beach pathway at Saltdean. Made from the same decking material as the Black Rock boardwalk, the pathway will extend southwards from the edge of the Undercliff to a small viewing/sitting area.
Kingsway to the Sea
BAWG group members are also helping to develop plans for the Kingsway to the Sea project. which aims to create a new linear park with outdoor sports facilities on the coastal stretch from the King Alfred to Hove Lagoon.
The project will include accessible pathways running throughout the park and a Changing Places facility as part of the new public toilets. There are also plans for a new Changing Places facility next to the public toilets at Hove Lagoon which will also be refurbished and improved and a new Safe Space within the proposed Outdoor Sports Hub building.
These facilities will enable disabled people to spend more time at the beach and seafront without having to return home to use bespoke facilities.
Beach wheelchairs
At Brighton’s Seafront Office, three beach wheelchairs are now available to borrow, at no charge.
The chairs, which range in size and style, have balloon wheels and can be used on the shingle beaches. They have so far been extremely popular with users.
In addition, a new all-terrain electric wheelchair, designed specifically to cope with the steeply shelving shingle beaches is currently being tested.
Blue Badge bays
Parking for Blue Badge holders has also been improved, with the new road layout at Madeira Drive offering almost double the number of spaces.
Additional Blue Badge bays are being planned for the seafront near the King Alfred Leisure Centre.
Work is underway to update the council website, providing a dedicated ‘Seafront Access’ page with information on all the accessible facilities available across the seafront.
Making a difference
Cllr Steph Powell, co-chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee said: “Every year millions of visitors arrive in the city to enjoy our seafront and beaches so it’s vital that we do everything we can to ensure they are accessible for everyone.
“Working with the Beach Access Working Group has enabled us to deliver improvements which are making a real difference for those with mobility issues.
"I thank everyone who has been involved in this work so far and I am excited to see our future plans to improve accessibility develop over the coming months.”
