New developments on the coast: the back story

About New developments on the coast: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Brighton Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Brighton’s seafront is changing. At Black Rock, new paths, a beach boardwalk and the restored Reading Room and Temple are taking shape on the eastern seafront; in Hove, the council is planning a new sports and leisure centre at the King Alfred; at Brighton Marina, a mixed-use scheme is under discussion; and along Shoreham’s Western Harbour Arm, new waterfront homes are rising.

From Black Rock in the east to Shoreham Harbour in the west, the coast around Brighton is being renewed. Here is where each scheme stands, in the words of the councils and developers.

Black Rock

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Black Rock rejuvenation project is improving the eastern seafront. The Grade II listed Reading Room and Temple have been restored and let as cafés; a new path, an ecology trail of vegetated shingle along a beach boardwalk, and new seating are in place. Still to come are sculptures along the boardwalk, lighting, and the pedestrian and cycle link to the Marina.

We report status only, from the councils’ and developers’ own pages.

The King Alfred

In Hove, the council is bringing forward plans for a new flagship sports and leisure centre on part of the existing seafront site of the King Alfred, following a Cabinet decision in July 2024, with Alliance Leisure appointed as development consultant.

Brighton Marina

Part of the Marina’s outer harbour site has been developed, with 195 flats and restaurants and shops below. The council reports that negotiations are ongoing to bring forward a high-quality, mixed-use development on the rest of the site.

Shoreham’s Western Harbour Arm

West of the city, the Shoreham Harbour partners aim to make the harbour a vibrant waterfront destination by 2031. On the Western Harbour Arm, Southern Housing’s Free Wharf scheme is being built in three phases of affordable homes: phase one is complete, and phase two topped out in March 2025.

Our advice: for the latest, read each project page on the councils’ sites; plans change.

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