Western Road Brighton rebuilding: works to 6 Nov, 16 buses

Western Road is being rebuilt between Holland Road and Montpelier Road until 6 November. 16 bus routes diverted, Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place stops shut.

Update, 3 October 2026: the bus notice has been revised. Brighton & Hove Buses now dates the Western Road diversion 1 October to 6 November. The stops out of use are Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place in both directions, plus the Montpelier Road stop on route 21 only; the operator names Palmeira Square and Waitrose as the nearest stops to use instead. The same 16 routes are affected: 1, 1X, 2, 5, 5A, 5B, 6, 21, 25, 46, 49, 60, 71, 71A, N1 and N5 (Brighton & Hove Buses service updates, read 3 October).

Update, 28 September 2026: work has started and 16 bus routes are diverted. Brighton & Hove Buses says it cannot serve the stops at Norfolk Square, Brunswick Place and Montpelier Road (Waitrose) from 7am on 28 September until 6 November. Buses towards Hove run via Montpelier Road, Davigdor Road and Holland Road, except routes 1X, 2 and 46, which use Montpelier Place. Buses towards Brighton run via Holland Road, Lansdowne Road and Montpelier Road (Brighton & Hove Buses service updates). Twelve side streets are two-way for the duration. The full detail is on our Brighton roadworks and travel page.

Western Road is to be dug up and rebuilt this autumn, with phased closures starting on Monday 28 September and lasting about 45 days. The work covers the section between Holland Road and Montpelier Road, and the council says around 700 buses a day use the corridor (Brighton & Hove City Council, 18 August 2026).

This is more than a resurfacing job. The council says an assessment found structural problems that a new top layer would not fix. So the programme starts with deeper excavation, reconstruction of damaged sections and drainage repairs.

Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and city infrastructure, said in the announcement: “Residents have been asking us to sort out Western Road for a long time. We are listening and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.” On the timing, he said: “We don’t want to leave this any longer. It has to be done before the temperature drops.”

Western Road Brighton rebuilding: where it stands on 3 October

The rebuild is in its first week. What is fixed and published so far:

The stretch: Western Road between Holland Road and Montpelier Road, the Hove end of the street around Norfolk Square, Brunswick Place and Palmeira Square.
The end date: Friday 6 November 2026. Both the bus operator’s notice and the council’s temporary traffic order give that date. The council’s own announcement only ever said “about 45 days”.
Buses: 16 routes diverted; Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place stops closed both ways, with Palmeira Square and Waitrose as the alternatives.
Side streets: a temporary order in force since 28 September makes twelve one-way streets around the works two-way until 6 November. The list is on our Brighton roadworks page.
The Red Route: approved. Cabinet agreed on 17 September that the experimental Red Route for the same stretch should go ahead, so the double red lines and new loading bays go in on the rebuilt road. What Cabinet decided.

What the council still has not published is a phase-by-phase plan showing which block of Western Road is shut on which day. Pedestrian access stays open where it is safe.

This is not the earlier Western Road scheme. The council’s One Journey Better page for Western Road describes a separate improvement project, with new pavements, crossings, bus shelters and a redesigned Dyke Road junction, and marks it “Work is now complete” (Brighton & Hove City Council). The 2026 rebuilding is a structural reconstruction of the carriageway further west.

What is being done

The council lists the following in the programme:

deeper excavation and reconstruction of damaged sections of the road
drainage repairs
resurfacing
improvements to essential road infrastructure

The stated aim is a surface that lasts longer and needs less patching in future.

The dates that matter

Timeline: 18 August 2026 the council announces the scheme; 17 September 2026 Cabinet meets at Hove Town Hall to decide the Red Route; 28 September 2026 phased closures begin on Western Road between Holland Road and Montpelier Road, lasting about 45 days — Graphic by The Brighton Times

Thursday 17 September: Cabinet, at Hove Town Hall, agreed the Red Route should go ahead (council meeting page)
Monday 28 September: work started, and the twelve two-way side streets took effect
Thursday 1 October: the start date on Brighton & Hove Buses’ revised diversion notice
Friday 6 November: the end date on both the bus notice and the temporary traffic order

In August the council said only “about 45 days” of phased closures, and that detail on traffic management, bus diversions, deliveries and access “will be shared with residents and businesses before work starts”. The bus and traffic order dates are the firmest published so far. We will update this page and our Brighton roadworks and travel page if the council publishes the phasing.

The Red Route proposal

Alongside the reconstruction, the council is marking the same stretch, Holland Road to Montpelier Road, as a Red Route. Cabinet approved it on 17 September, so the change is being made while the road is already dug up.

What that means in practice:

double yellow lines become double red lines, enforced by CCTV rather than by a civil enforcement officer happening to be there
10 new loading bays, providing 140 metres of loading space
additional disabled parking bays on Western Road and on nearby streets
the scheme would run under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order, which allows the council to adjust it during the first 12 months

The cabinet report follows a public consultation held last year that drew more than a thousand responses from residents and businesses, with a majority in favour of the Red Route. Councillor Muten said the measure will improve safety and bus times and keep traffic moving.

A red route is stricter than a double yellow. The Highway Code is blunt about it. You must not stop or park on red lines “unless otherwise indicated by signs”. On red routes it is the “specially marked and signed bays” that show where and when loading and unloading is allowed (Highway Code, rules 240 and 247). That is what the 10 new bays are for, and it is the detail most likely to catch out anyone who currently pulls up briefly outside a shop on that stretch.

What it means for you

If you travel by bus between Hove and the city centre, use Palmeira Square or the Waitrose stop until 6 November; Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place are not served in either direction. Check Brighton & Hove Buses’ service updates on the day, because the notice has already been revised once.
If you drive through Western Road, plan for closures rather than lane restrictions. The council’s own word is “phased road closures”, not contraflows.
If you run a business on that stretch, the loading arrangements are the thing to look at now. The Red Route is approved, so once the road reopens deliveries will have to use the 10 marked loading bays rather than double yellow lines.
If you need to park nearby, our parking in Brighton page covers the zones, tariffs and permit rules around the city centre.

There is a separate consultation running in parallel that also closes at the end of September. The council is asking for views on enforcement cameras at five junctions where existing restrictions are widely ignored, including London Road onto New England Road and Ditchling Road onto Baker Street. Breaching one would bring a £70 penalty charge, halved to £35 if paid within 21 days, after a six-month warning period. That consultation runs until 28 September (Your Voice, Brighton & Hove).

Frequently asked questions

Why is Western Road in Brighton being rebuilt?

The council says an assessment found structural problems in parts of the carriageway that a new top layer would not fix. So the work digs deeper, reconstructs damaged sections and repairs the drainage before resurfacing.

When will Western Road reopen?

The bus diversion and the temporary traffic order both run to Friday 6 November 2026. The council has not published a separate reopening date.

Which bus stops are closed on Western Road?

Norfolk Square and Brunswick Place in both directions, and the Montpelier Road stop on route 21. Brighton & Hove Buses says to use Palmeira Square or Waitrose instead.

Which part of Western Road is shut?

The section between Holland Road and Montpelier Road. The Churchill Square end is not part of this scheme.

Is Western Road becoming a Red Route?

Yes. Cabinet approved an experimental Red Route for the same stretch on 17 September 2026, with 10 new loading bays and extra disabled bays, run under an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order.