Tourism 2016

Latest figures released by Tourism South East show the city attracted a total of 11,234,000 visitors in 2016, an increase of 6.4% on 2015.

On a regional and national level, the overall picture shows that Brighton & Hove is performing well, while England saw visitor numbers increase by 4%, the South East, overall, recorded a decrease of 2%.

Total expenditure by visitors to Brighton & Hove is estimated to have been in the region of £885.9 million in 2016, an increase of 3.2% compared to 2015.

The data also shows the city had  9,627,000 day trippers,  a 5.8% upturn on 2015, while the amount of money spent during their trip increased by 6.2% to £353 million.

The number of overnight stays in the city showed the biggest increase at 1,607,000, just over 10% up on 2015.  Domestic visitors were shown to be the group that had contributed most to this growth with almost 15% more overnight trips made by UK travellers compared with 2015 figures. 

The only figure to have dipped slightly is the number of overnight trips made by overseas visitors, which was down marginally, by 2.1%, though both the length and value of each trip has increased.

About Tourism South East (TSE)
TSE is a not-for-profit organisation with a mission to provide services and expertise that supports the performance and growth of tourism businesses and destinations. Services provided include:  domestic and international marketing campaigns, PR and web promotions, training courses, research and visitor information services, networking opportunities and advocacy.

Read more about the Economic Impact of Tourism Study, Brighton & Hove

Shelter Hall piling starts

The latest phase of rebuilding Brighton’s historic seafront Shelter Hall gets underway from early September, as contractors start sinking 135 concrete piles, up to 20 metres into the ground. These will then be capped with a half-metre thick slab of concrete to provide a stable base for the new building.

Around 1450 cubic metres of concrete will be pumped into the site – enough to fill three swimming pools the size of Brighton’s Prince Regent.

Hundreds of cement mixer deliveries will be needed. To accommodate them, a special compound will be created across the layby and prom opposite the Brighton Centre. This will entail a second diversion in the seafront cycle lane to be put in place imminently, shifting it a few metres south into a space shared with pedestrians. An existing diversion to the east will stay.

Piling and capping work is expected to last until around next February. However the compound and cycle lane diversion are expected to be in place until June 2018 to assist subsequent works.

Once groundworks are complete, a reinforced concrete frame will be created. External finishes will mean the new building looking similar to the Victorian structure it replaces.

The new building housing a large destination restaurant, a rotunda café, a retail unit and public toilets is expected to be fully open in Spring 2019. Revenues will help maintain the seafront in future. The council is also reinforcing the A259 to eliminate the risk of it eventually collapsing.

Seafront sculpture sacrilege

Aug 2017

Notwithstanding the reputation of Brighton as a centre for the arts and artists philistines seem to be alive and kicking.

The setting of an important 20thC artwork has been recently ruined by the unthinking addition of a motley collection of seafront clutter. It is no consolation that some of it may not be permanent. Even the security camera mast, in itself, is sufficient to spoil the composition.

How it should look.

See also: Passacaglia postscript

Help to create a clean beach bonanza.

BHCC’s Seafront Team has joined the #2minutebeachclean campaign, alongside several local businesses. The initiative was launched on 5 June to mark World Environment Day.

The #2minutebeachclean is a simple campaign to provide beachgoers with the opportunity to ‘do their bit’ for the beach they love, encouraging them to spend two minutes picking up litter before beginning their journey home.

To increase awareness of the fate of the beaches and oceans, people are encouraged to take photos of themselves cleaning the beach and upload them to social media sites using the hashtag #2minutebeachclean,

Four distinctive #2minutebeachclean A-boards have been placed along the busy seafront, with local businesses as official ‘guardians’.

The stations hold several litter pickers for public use and a supply of standard reused supermarket plastic bags which can be dropped into any council waste bins.

You can find them at: 

• The Seafront Office
• The World Cetacean Alliance (just east of the Palace Pier)
• Molly’s Coffee shop at Rottingdean Beach
• British Airways i360

​Three of the A-boards on the seafront have been funded in a joint initiative by the council, Surfers Against Sewage and local sustainable design studio Claire Potter Design. The fourth guardian of a #2minutebeachclean board is British Airways i360, where staff are keen to encourage people to keep the beach tidy.

The #2minutebeachclean campaign was founded in 2014 by writer, surfer and beach lover Martin Dorey who lives in Bude, Cornwall.
The first beach clean station was set up at Crooklets beach in Bude. Since then more than 200 beach clean stations have been set up across the UK and Ireland.
Local businesses interested in becoming a guardian or sponsoring a #2minutebeachclean station can contact Charles at the Seafront Office on 01273 292716.

For more information about the #2minutebeachclean campaign, visit www.beachclean.net. And at plasticfreepledge.com, an initiative has been launched by Claire Potter Design for businesses in the city to reduce reliance on single use plastics, supported by the Seafront Office.

Passacaglia postscript

'Passacaglia' 

The existing 'information' plate

It is poignant to consider that it won't be many years now before Charles Hadcock's 20thC tour de force cradles an empty patch of sea. In the meantime a legible information plate might underline its status in the world of art and satisfy the curiosity of interested passers-by.

The location on the beach is vulnerable to both extreme weathering and casual vandalism.  It suggests the use of cast or engraved bronze firmly anchored into a concrete base.

See also: Passacaglia & Fugue.

Beach bins bolstered

Good news that booming Brighton & Hove is bolstering its beach bins with fifty extra 240-litre bins. These are  being delivered in time for the coming weekend. 

The hottest weather in decades has seen the beaches packed recently and heavily strewn with litter, much of it left during the night. The council has been clearing up to 50 tonnes of litter from the beach on the busiest weekends.

Extra litter-picking staff are also being deployed to be added to the usual 15 dedicated to the seafront.  A further four are on standby from an agency.

Do a two - minute beach clean

Excellent idea.

Start of summer for City lifeguards

Teams of lifeguards will take up their posts on Brighton & Hove’s beaches this weekend officially kicking off the summer season. 

The lifeguards patrol the city’s beaches from the Marina to Hove Lagoon and as far as Saltdean during the summer school break.  

The team of male and female lifeguards, aged between 17-55, have all successfully completed a rigorous beach lifeguard qualification and a week-long  induction course acquiring a wide range of skills from assessing sea and weather conditions and dealing with beach hazards, to carrying out first aid and water rescues.  Last year, the seafront team saved 33 lives and gave help or safety advice  to over 27,000 people.

The city is also celebrating the start of the summer season this week as Brighton Central and Hove Lawns beaches are among 14 of the South East region’s beaches to win prestigious Blue Flag awards while Saltdean beach has scooped a Seaside Award.  A total of 68 of the UK’s beaches have been awarded Blue Flags in 2017.

The awards, managed by Keep Britain Tidy, are the quality marks for the UK’s beaches and mean those visiting them can be sure that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.

Find out more about where and when lifeguards operate and how to stay safe on Brighton & Hove’s beaches 

A Pool for Madeira Drive - update

BA i360 nominated for RIBA award

War Horse visits Brighton beach

Brighton's brilliant beaches

Brighton Central beach

The city’s beaches have been classified as ‘excellent’ by the Environment Agency, with two of them winning Blue Flags from Keep Britain Tidy.

All four beaches tested by the Environment Agency – Hove, Brighton Central, Brighton Kemptown and Saltdean – passed with flying colours. The results are based on the past four years (2012-2015) water quality test results.

Blue flags were awarded for the city’s two main resort beaches of Hove and Brighton central. They are used to highlight coastal destinations that have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management.

Saltdean beach has been recognised with a Quality Coast Award for achieving the highest standards of beach management.

Seasonal lifeguards support the regular seafront team and will be patrolling beaches from the Marina to Hove Lagoon.

During an average year Brighton & Hove’s lifeguards carry out more than 100 water rescues, and save many lives. They also administer first aid to around 250 beach goers, give safety advice to around 19,000 people and reunite hundreds of children with their families, proactively working with them to prevent incidents occurring and ensure their visit to the beach is a safe and happy one.

Sea walls

View east from West Pier

This postcard from  the early 20thC shows, in the bottom LH corner, an exposed sea-wall on the east of the West Pier. It is of similar design to that on the west side of the pier,  a gap having been left between them to accommodate the already existing Pier. The build-up of shingle has presumably rendered them redundant, which is a good thing inasmuch as the i360 is now occupying the self-same gap.

See also:- Brighton Beach

Seafront Shelter Hall progress

The photos show work underway to reconfigure the lower promenade around the Shelter Hall and provide foundations for the construction of a new seawall. This phase is expected to be completed by the end of March, weather permitting.

The Shelter Hall extends under the A259, one of the major routes in and out of the city. From 4 January,  a 50 metre section of  King's Road either side of West Street will be closed to allow for work to take place under the A259. The junction will include a dedicated filter for right turns into West Street for westbound traffic. Access to Churchill Square and car parks will be kept open.

Traffic travelling southbound down West Street and heading west on the seafront will need to turn right on Russell Road and use the Cannon Place/A259 junction.
Shared pedestrian and cycle access along the upper prom will be maintained at all times, as will access to the lower prom.

The total £10 million project involves rebuilding the historic Shelter Hall (a Victorian building originally designed to shield bathers from bad weather and hot sun) to become a flagship commercial location for the 21st century, creating a new walkway on the beach, enlarging the upper prom area and building new public toilets on the seafront.

Previous post: Rebuilding of the Seafront Shelter Hall.

i360 progress 3

The i360 from the west. 14 cans in position; 3 to go.

See also: i360 progress 2

The growing i360

On 11th June six of the seventeen steel cylinders (cans) that will be assembled into the tower arrived by barge on the beach. Progress since then has been rapid.

The first 3 cans are installed and 3 more stand ready 

The jacking rig. This  supports the upper completed section of the tower while it is being raised by the crane. This enables the next section to be slid in underneath and bolted on.

The 100 metre high crane being used in the assembly looms over the jacking rig and the upper cans.

A second delivery of cans is scheduled to arrive today June 23rd.

The tower looks unexpectedly slender and the early fears that its bulk will unattractively dominate  the seafront seem ill-founded.

Remains of the Chain Pier

Remains of the wooden piling just breaking surface at today's low tide.  

They probably align with the second pier out from the shore as shown in the 1890 photo below.

The remains of the first pier will now be buried in the beach due to the substantial build-up of shingle over the last 100 years.

The Peacehaven Undercliff

If you are bored with the Blackrock to Saltdean stretch of undercliff the section between Telscombe and Peacehaven offers much of the same but is generally less busy.

It was built by Lewes District Council in the 1980s and has three access points from the cliff-top which are:-

At the west end, a ramp from Malines Av.

The Bastion Steps at Steyning Ave., 0.7 miles further east 

The easterly steps leading to Cliff Ave., a further mile east.

It is thus possible, by including the cliff-top path, to do a 4 mile figure-of eight walk from any of the three access points, all of which are on the no.12 coast road bus route.

Looking towards Brighton at the west end

Looking across Friars Bay at the east end

Between the Saltdean east end and Peacehaven undercliff is a gap of about 1.2 miles of unprotected cliff, and a similar gap exists between the east end of the Peacehaven undercliff and Newhaven West Beach. Presumably these sections will need coastal defence works eventually and it might then be possible to walk the 7.5 miles from Brighton to Newhaven along a continuous undercliff path.

Some luxurious vegetation.

Beach behaviour.

A JCB, clearing shingle from the footpaths, creates temporary shingle 'dunes' which are immediately colonised by homo sapiens maritimus.

Summer beach

Low tide

See also:-

Summer cloud

Autumn sunshine

Winter sunshine