The final phase of Valley Gardens opened on 16 October: a new junction in place of the Aquarium roundabout, 500m of cycle lane, 35 trees and 25 benches.
The third and final phase of Valley Gardens is finished. Brighton & Hove City Council officially opened it today, Friday 16 October, by switching on the Victoria Fountain in the Old Steine (council announcement).
The opening ends a project that has rebuilt the whole corridor from St Peter’s Church down to the seafront. Phase 3 covers the southern end: the Old Steine, Castle Square and the old Aquarium roundabout by the Palace Pier, which is now a signal-controlled junction.
Construction on this phase began in November 2024. It cost £12.8 million.
What Phase 3 has built
The council lists these changes:
- 500 metres of separated cycle lane, linking phases 1 and 2 to the seafront
- a new junction in place of the Aquarium roundabout, with crossings for people walking and cycling
- wider pavements and more direct crossings
- a new public space between the Royal Pavilion and the War Memorial
- a new layout for traffic, resurfaced roads and new bus stops
- 35 more trees, 8 of them still to be planted this autumn
- new landscaping and street furniture, including 25 new benches
- event infrastructure for outdoor events
- better lighting around the Old Steine
The relandscaped Steine Gardens opened to the public as part of the same scheme.
What the council said
Council leader Bella Sankey said the area “looks absolutely fantastic”. “Walking down from St Peter’s Church all the way to the seafront is a delight,” she said.
Councillor Trevor Muten is the cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure. He said the scheme “replaces a tired and shabby part of the city with new roads, pavements, cycle lanes and open spaces”.
“Valley Gardens is far more than a transport project,” he said. “The improvements to the public realm mean it’s now a destination people can come to sit and relax or attend new outdoor events.”
How long it took
Phase 3 has been seven years in the making. The council’s own timeline runs:
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| October 2019 | £6 million from the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership agreed (council) |
| July 2020 | Public consultation on the first design (council) |
| September 2020 | Phases 1 and 2 completed (council) |
| January 2022 | Councillors approve the detailed design (council) |
| January 2024 | After a review, councillors give the go-ahead for work (council) |
| November 2024 | Construction starts on Castle Square (council) |
| January 2025 | Work moves to the St James’s Street junction (council) |
| May 2025 | New public space outside the Royal Albion Hotel takes shape (council) |
| October 2025 | East side of the Old Steine finished; work moves west (council) |
| December 2025 | Work starts on replacing the Aquarium roundabout (council) |
| March 2026 | Project enters its final months (council) |
| 16 October 2026 | Phase 3 officially opened |
Who paid for it
The total budget was £12.8 million. The council gives this split (council announcement):
- £6 million of Local Growth Fund money from the former Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership
- £4 million of council borrowing
- £2.3 million of Department for Transport funding, from the Local Transport Grant, the Local Transport Plan and the Bus Service Improvement Plan
- £0.5 million of developer contributions
The council’s scheme page had listed up to £5 million of borrowing in the budget (scheme page). The capital programme put to cabinet on 15 October also showed £1 million less for Valley Gardens Phase 3, as we reported in our story on the council’s £23.8 million overspend.
What it means for you
- The Aquarium roundabout has gone. Drivers, bus passengers and cyclists coming off the seafront by the Palace Pier now meet traffic lights and signalled crossings. Our roadworks and travel page carries this week’s other closures.
- You can now cycle from St Peter’s Church to the sea on a separated lane. The 500 metres added in this phase join the lanes built in phases 1 and 2.
- Some planting is still to come. Eight of the 35 new trees go in this autumn, so expect small planting works around the gardens.
- The Old Steine is set to host events. The council said on Thursday that the Old Steine is its preferred home for the ice rink from 2027 onwards. There will be no rink in Brighton this winter (council announcement). Our earlier stories explain why the Royal Pavilion rink is not returning.
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