THE £30 million needed to replace Brighton’s corroded Victorian seafront will be hard to find because the area cannot generate income, council leader Warren Morgan has told The Argus.

Councillor Morgan told this paper that Madeira Drive Terraces need to be completely rebuilt at an estimated cost of up to £30 million.

The Brighton and Hove City Council leader said the task of convincing bodies to release the funds necessary to return the seafront back to its "former glory" would be extremely difficult without a strong business case.

The owners of JAG Gallery and Studio 284 rehearsal space in Madeira Drive were told last Wednesday that they would have to move out within a matter of weeks after further corroding of the seafront arches was uncovered.

The arches are deemed at risk of “progressive collapse” which is also endangering Concorde 2, which remains open, almost half a mile further down the seafront road.

Coun Morgan said that 100 years of “no significant investment” and “a hostile seafront environment” had contributed to the current situation where the seafront arches are “unsafe” and in such a poor state that they require rebuilding.

He said that any bids for funding to meet the eight-figure repair bill would need to show how public bodies would get a return on their investment which was difficult to make at the current time.

He said: “The problem with the Terraces, as they stand right now, is that there is no way of generating income from them.

“That’s not to say it could never be done.

“As a listed structure any changes are problematic and would need the consent of English Heritage.

“It will need some imagination, innovation and flexibility to make the kind of investment in the Terraces which might generate sufficient funds for the required work itself and future upkeep.”

Coun Morgan said that no council in the country could match Brighton and Hove for seafront investment which included the i360, £5 million on King’s Road Arches, the £9m project to rebuild Shelter Hall as well as proposals to redevelop Brighton Centre and Kingswest, the new King Alfred leisure centre, a new swimming facility at Peter Pan’s and the Black Rock convention centre.

I WANT TO RESTORE THE AREA TO FORMER GLORY by Council leader Warren Morgan

The Argus: Councillor Warren MorganCouncillor Warren Morgan

WALKING along Madeira Drive at the weekend I was again saddened to see the state it is in. 

It has stood since Victorian times, over 100 years in a hostile seafront environment, with no significant investment. 

It’s easy with hindsight to say our predecessors should have done more, but its problems are made harder to deal with by a flawed structural design which is in itself very hard to maintain. 

A lack of expansion joints made cracking likely while its steel beams are hidden from view, encased in concrete and almost impossible to inspect or repair economically. 

Costs are estimated to be in the region of £20 million to £30 million for a like-for-like replacement. 

Usually when you’re trying to attract millions from external funders – whether from the government, the Lottery, private businesses or crowdfunding – they always ask the same thing. 

What’s the business case? 

Where is the return on our investment? 

At the moment they would get a beautiful replica of a Victorian promenade with very little practical use to modern Brighton. 

This is why the things that get the Lottery grants and government funding all need to make a return you can put a figure on. 

We’re working on just such a proposal, and I’ll let you know about it as soon as I can.

Our ambitions are that the area east of the Palace Pier is restored to its former glory and is once again an attractive place for residents, visitors and events to use. 

I want to bring the buildings around the Aquarium back into use and looking good again.