A new 850m boardwalk has been built along Brighton's eastern seafront, made from 220 tonnes of upcycled plastic and including a new planting area created by Kew at Wakehurst.
The boardwalk runs from the Volk's Railway station at Black Rock to the Volk’s Workshops at the junction with Duke’s Mound and provides a safe and accessible route along the beach.
There are handrails and seating and a new wildlife and vegetated planting area, created as a joint initiative between Brighton & Hove City Council and Kew Gardens at Wakehurst.
The council says the boardwalk was built by Sussex company Landbuild Ltd and has been constructed using 3,000 square metres of composite decking, made from 220 tonnes of upcycled plastic.
It’s been fixed together with 90,000 stainless steel screws and bolts, which they say is the entire current stock of UK, Italy and Germany of 80mm marine grade screws.
Started in September last year, Landbuild faced 'a range of challenging weather conditions' including Storm Eunice, which battered the seafront, although the boardwalk remained intact.
Over 100 new boardwalk light units will be fitted next month, illuminating the main paths and junction areas.
Landbuild and Land Use Consultants have also worked with Kew to create the unique vegetated shingle wave formations, these are now home to thousands of specially grown coastal plants and seeds, provided by Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst.
A unique ‘wave’ design, created from 20,000 tonnes of shingle over an area of 1,120 square metres was constructed by Landbuild’s excavators which combine satellite and steelwrist technology, the waves will help protect the young plans from harsh coastal conditions.
The boardwalk was officially declared open today (Thursday April 7) by Brighton & Hove Mayor Councillor Alan Robins:
“I’d like to congratulate everyone involved with the creation of this wonderful new addition to the eastern seafront, from the project board team and builders to the landscapers and horticulturalists,” he said.
“This stunning new boardwalk marks another step forward in ensuring our city is accessible to all, and I’m sure it will be a huge hit with both residents and visitors as a new way to enjoy our world-famous beaches.”
The project is phase 2 of the Black Rock Rejuvenation Project, being led by Brighton & Hove City Council, with funding from Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership.
The project is part of a large-scale regeneration effort to transform this part of the coastline and enable further development in the future.
Other plans for the project include restoring the Temple and Grade-II Listed Old Reading Room and a seafront classroom for children and young people to use when visiting the area.
Details supplied by Brighton & Hove City Council.
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