Plans to for £18m redevelopment of Valley Gardens will go ahead with overhaul

The transport project put forward by Brighton and Hove City Council’s former Green Party administration has come under scrutiny straight after the local elections.

Labour leader, councillor Warren Morgan, vowed straight away to suspend the city centre scheme but yesterday he said it will go ahead with alterations.

The current five-year construction time, the council’s own financial commitments, the amount of road space and the fate of the Aquarium roundabout and the Mazda Fountain are all likely to change.

Coun Morgan said there was no prospect of the scheme being scrapped but he was not certain how long his “suspend and review” delay might take.

Opposition councillors accused the incoming Labour administration of “bluster” over their much-hyped suspension of Green projects.

Council officers are currently drawing up detailed finalised plans for the project and work was due to begin in September under the previous Green administration’s timetable.

Coun Morgan said his new administration would listen to residents’ concerns and that many had raised concerns about the current Valley Gardens plan.

More than 1,500 residents signed a petition to save the Mazda Fountain, which has been in the centre of the city for the past 80 years.

Coun Morgan said he also had concerns about limiting general traffic to just two lanes in each direction and the five year timespan for the plan’s completion.

He said: “There has been a very clear message from the public that we don’t want Valley Gardens to go on for five years of roadworks, we don’t want an open-ended financial commitment, we don’t want to see two lanes of traffic taken out or taking out the Aquarium roundabout.”

Conservative group leader, councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: “A lot of what the Labour party said before the election was purely for political gain.

“I always felt that they were very supportive of the scheme and then in the run-up to the election they came up with these objections.”

Councillor Pete West, outgoing Green chairman of the city’s environment, transport and sustainability committee said the business case for the scheme had been clearly made and the project offered “very high value for money”.

He said any prospect of cancelling the project would risk Brighton and Hove’s reputation with funders as “a reliable and can-do city”.

He added: “Labour is being hasty and taking a risky and ill-thought position that is not in the interests of this city and I hope they will re-consider.”

Coun Warren answers all the big questions over £18m plan

Q What will happen to the Valley Gardens project under your administration?

A We are setting up a meeting with officers to discuss the suspension and review of the project.
The project has already been taken to a certain point by the Green administration supported by the Tories and funding has been secured.
We believe there needs to be changes but we don’t agree with the length of time needed for the changes or things like the loss of the Mazda fountain so we will absolutely look at what improvements we can make.
If we were to cancel the project all together that would be several million pounds worth of funding from the LEP.
If we were to hand that funding back, that would be frowned upon by the LEP and could affect any future bids for funding.
I really can’t say what the length of delay will be at this stage, we need to know all the ins and outs of the project before we can make a decision on how and how fast we go forward with this.

Q What other Green projects will you be looking to review?

A The major projects we are looking at include the King Alfred, the Brighton Centre and the new arena at Black Rock.
I have been involved in these projects, in terms of the King Alfred, before even the Green administration, and I have been on the project boards so I do want to see these projects happen and I want to see them done on time and on budget.
I want to see these as a benefit for the city, financially, creating better jobs and homes and help contribute towards the city’s regeneration.
All the things in fact that we did with the Jubilee Library and with the original Brighton Centre, things that will help keep our economy thriving.

Q Will your review also include the plant pots used for traffic calming in Viaduct Road?

A Yes we do need to review this and that will be for the councillor who I will appoint as chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee to look at whether they are fit for purpose or should be replaced by something else.
There does need to be traffic calming there but is that the right solution?
Every time I go down there as a motorist I’m not sure, so we need to sit down with council officers and look at that.

Q How long will it take to establish your proposed Fairness Commission?

A It might take a few weeks. We will start to approach people to be part of it, in fact we have asked people already and we are asking someone to chair it.
We have to establish it very early so that it can report within a year and it will be looking at ways of tackling poverty and inequality, better pay and better jobs. It will not be a party political body but it will have a councillor on it as other fairness commissions around the country have had. I am looking to bring in experts in their field and representatives from residents and businesses and whoever we feel can contribute.

Q What other projects will you be looking to launch early on in your administration?

A I have already talked to officers about a summer clean-up campaign and we will get started on that very soon. We want to focus on fly-tipping, clean up days and address littering, things we don’t think the Greens have done.
I hope that if we play our part by providing a reliable service, I hope that residents too can play their part to ensure that the benchmark 
is set to a high standard which we can 
maintain. We have had clean up days in Whitehawk before and people then show more respect.

Q Some people have suggested this might be a good election to lose with extensive central government funding cuts over the next four years.

A Somebody once said to me your worst day in power is far better than your best day in opposition. Whatever hurdles in terms of financial terms or cuts, we are in a position to make a difference. I want to change the fact that there is 47% child poverty in my ward, I want to try and end youth unemployment, I want to bring more affordable accommodation to the city.
We do things not because they are easier but because they are hard.

Q What significant changes will residents see in your administration compared to the previous Green administration?

A I hope they will see in our administration a commitment to listening to residents, not just in 
the centre but as far as Portslade and Patcham.
We are willing to talk with other parties and we are willing to listen, we are looking to build a very constructive approach with other parties.
We are a long way from the next elections.
We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas so if another party has a good idea then we are quite happy to pick it up and run with it.
I hope we can put party politics aside for at least the first two years for the benefit of the city.

Q You have a minority administration with 14 new councillors. How quickly will they have to come in and learn the ropes?

A I have got an exceptional team and some of them will be put straight into lead councillor and committee chair roles alongside our experienced councillors who will be the bedrock of our administration.
We have got some excellent councillors who will be able to bring some real world experience to the roles. I am really positive about the impact it will have on the people of Brighton and Hove.