A CONSULTATION into the extension of a seafront cycle lane must be done again, the Conservatives say.

Brighton and Hove City Council proposed changes to the A259 cycle lane to encourage better accessibility along the seafront.

The plans will see the road reduced from two lanes to one, the extension of the current cycle lane from Hove Lawns, the extension of the pavement around the shops in Kingsway, the addition of loading bays and the creation of additional disabled parking spaces.

A six-week consultation into the plans is set to end on January 9.

According to the Conservatives, residents are “still in the dark” over key aspects of the scheme, including the impact on disability parking and pollution around Hove Lagoon.

Conservative Councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn said a council response to an array of residents’ most-asked questions was “wholly inadequate”.

“Being concerned regarding the lack of information in respect of pollution, I asked for information in respect as to where monitoring sites were situated and what readings had been obtained under the existing traffic arrangements,” Cllr Pelzer Dunn said.

“The official council response was that monitoring was still going on and that the information would be provided to the committee together with the design proposals.

“Such information should have been contained in the consultation document together with information as to what action would be taken if adverse readings were obtained after such a scheme was up and running.

“The council response was to blandly state that monitoring would be undertaken in accord with ‘with the active travel fund conditions'.”

Cllr Pelzer Dunn is calling for a further consultation to be undertaken.

He said there will be increased car usage and pollution in the vicinity of Hove Lagoon and the residential roads north of the A259.

“It is also out of step with the supposedly green credentials of which the council is so proud,” he added.

Wish Ward Councillor Robert Nemeth said another significant concern that hadn’t been addressed was the impact on car parking, including disability access bays.

“We saw with council’s previous active travel schemes that inadequate thought was given to the impact on people with a disability,” he said.

“Local group Brighton Access for Disabled Groups Everywhere was formed in the aftermath of the council’s tranche one active travel schemes along Madeira Drive and the A259, which adversely affected people with a disability, who were left having to ask permission to use Madeira Drive’s toilets after that road was closed, and with having to use dangerously placed disability bays on A259 after former bays were replaced with a cycle lane.

“It emerged that the council had not adequately consulted disability groups over the proposals and had potentially breached the Equalities Act.

“We are now concerned to see another inadequate consultation with so many basic questions residents are rightly asking not addressed, including the question on the loss of car parking bays.

“We are calling for the consultation to be re-done so that residents have all the facts needed before being asked to give their view.”