Last updated: 10 October 2026, 10.38pm BST.
Nearly £230,000 has been approved for neighbourhood projects across five Brighton and Hove wards, ranging from new trees and toddler play space to an outdoor gym contribution, Saltdean seafront improvements and work on local shopping areas.
What has been approved
The council’s formal decision record approves the first tranche of projects chosen after the Your Voice consultation. The accompanying official project schedule gives the following allocations.
Round Hill: £22,000
Two replacement trees, including stump removal, are allocated £7,000 each near 25A Upper Lewes Street and the Cats Protection site on Beaconsfield Road. A further £8,000 is for new street trees on Richmond Road, with locations and the final number still to be agreed.
Rottingdean and West Saltdean: £87,110.83
The largest allocation includes £6,150 for three Rottingdean beach benches, £10,000 for two flashing road signs, £7,000 for planting near Saltdean Park Road and £7,098 for three benches at Saltdean Vale and Coombe Vale. Smaller items cover bollards, a skatepark bin and £2,000 of equipment for the Saltdean Neuro-Affirming Network.
The remaining £28,743.83 is intended for Saltdean Residents and Community Association to improve Longridge Avenue, repaint turquoise seafront railings and deliver other community infrastructure.
Westbourne and Poets’ Corner: £22,000
Stoneham Park is allocated £15,000 for two or three pieces of outdoor gym equipment. A replacement tree and stump removal on Lawrence Road receives £5,250, with the remaining budget assigned to seagull-proof bins in the park.
Wish: £76,125
The plan includes £24,000 for removing two stumps and planting four trees on Jesmond Road, £4,170 for a small toddler play area in Davis Park and £22,000 towards a new outdoor gym at Hove Lagoon. It also provides £7,500 for up to 20 tree guards in Wish Park and £15,250 for alternative storage supporting children’s football at Aldrington Recreation Ground.
Woodingdean: £22,000
Cowley Drive shops receive £11,000 for public-space and shopfront improvements, seating and support for a café or similar use in a vacant unit. A £1,000 plaque will explain the history of Woodingdean Well, while £10,000 is allocated to redesign planting outside Warren Way shopping parade.
Why the Brighton and Hove neighbourhood funding matters
These are small projects compared with the council’s wider capital programme, but they affect places people use every day. The range also shows the trade-off built into neighbourhood funding: visible improvements can be delivered locally, yet future maintenance falls back on existing council budgets.
The council report explicitly says there is no guarantee of repeat funding. That matters while the authority is also managing a difficult wider financial position, explained in our report on the Brighton council budget forecast.
Brighton Locals’ view
Our assessment: publishing ward-by-ward amounts and named projects is a useful step because residents can see where developer contributions are going. The strongest proposals have a clear place, purpose and budget. The weakest part is the delivery timetable: approval alone does not tell residents when a bench, tree, plaque or play area will appear.
What residents should do
Use the council links above to check the exact schedule. Anyone concerned about the decision process should note the 12 October call-in deadline; the published record currently shows no call-in. For delivery questions after the decision takes effect, residents can contact their ward councillors or the council service responsible for the project.
What to watch next
The next meaningful update will be a timetable for design, procurement and construction, followed by further tranches for wards not included here. Completion dates and maintenance responsibility should be published alongside those updates.
Bottom line: five wards now have a detailed first list of funded improvements. The test is no longer which ideas were selected, but how quickly and transparently they reach the street.
Featured image: Hove Lagoon, one of the locations in the approved programme. The photograph does not show the proposed outdoor gym works. Photo: Paul Gillett / Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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