The seafront railings are getting a new shade instead of Brighton Blue

Brighton & Hove City Council^2,3 has changed the paint on the seafront railings. Brighton Blue, the aquamarine the city has used for more than 100 years, is being replaced by a similar shade called RAL light green, first reported by the BBC.

The council says it is using a specialist long-lasting paint to protect the cast ironwork, and that it is the closest available match to the original oil-based paint.

Jacob Allen, the cabinet member for customer services, public realm and local government, told the BBC the new paint would “absolutely” save the council money. “What residents really want is our heritage cast iron, which takes a battering from the sea and wind, to be protected,” he said. “You can see more orange [from rust] than Brighton Blue in some of the assets.”

He added: “Is there any point of refurbishing things if you have to go back and do it again in a few years? I have to make every pound stretch as far as it can.”

Neither the council nor the BBC gave a figure for the saving.

Some people have said the old colour is part of the city’s heritage. Others on the seafront didn’t mind. “They’re very similar. It looks nice and fresh now,” said Stew Curtin.

The council looks after about 13 kilometres of seafront, including 6km of railings. This year it secured £280,000 for a seafront maintenance programme, and in August contractors began stripping around 300 metres of railings west of the Meeting Place café on Hove seafront back to bare metal. The council says the new approach was chosen after trials of paint systems and gives a longer-lasting finish. Phase two starts next spring.