Work on the next stretch of King's Road seafront arches is about to start

Work to restore and strengthen the Victorian arches under King’s Road, between the Bandstand and the Seahorse restaurant, is set to begin in the next couple of weeks, Brighton & Hove City Council^1,2,3 has said.

A work compound has been built to the west of the Bandstand, and the area around the arches has been fenced off.

The arches hold up King’s Road, which carries an average of more than 25,000 vehicles and 2,100 cyclists a day. Surveys found they need replacing to avoid collapse, which would close the road. The work includes repairing damaged brickwork and concrete and replacing corroded structural parts. When it is finished, the council says, the arches and the road above should be safe and usable for the next 100 years, with better spaces for the businesses inside.

This is part of phases 4 and 5 of the programme, paid for by a successful bid for £22m from the Department for Transport and a £3.9m council contribution.

Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said: “These historic structures are a vital part of our seafront infrastructure and this investment will help protect them for many years to come.”

Three earlier phases have been completed. Phase 1 turned 26 arches into shops and public toilets, and the first shops opened in summer 2014. Phase 2 strengthened 33 arches between the Seahorse and the West Pier. Phase 3 created Shelter Hall, with new public toilets on the lower promenade, a new walkway and a sea wall.

More could follow. In September the council’s Cabinet agreed to put £4m towards a bid of more than £41m to the Department for Transport for phases 6 and 7, which would repair and strengthen 38 more arches east of Shelter Hall.

The phase 4 work would require the King’s Road paddling pool area to close while it takes place. A feasibility study on options for a new facility is being carried out, a public consultation is planned for later in 2026, and the council hopes to have a new facility up and running in 2027.

The council says it will post access arrangements and any temporary changes on its website as the work goes on.