Last updated: 11 October 2026, 3.20am BST
Brighton & Hove City Council’s Cabinet will be asked on Thursday 15 October to approve an £8.038 million budget for the Royal Pavilion Gardens restoration and allow the main construction contract to be signed. If the remaining funding and contract conditions are completed, work is scheduled to start on 9 November 2026 and finish in November 2027.
At a glance
- Cabinet meets at Hove Town Hall at 10.30am on Thursday 15 October.
- The proposed total budget is £8.038m, an increase of £1.6m on the current approved project budget.
- The council report says no further direct council contribution is being requested; the increase is intended to come from grants and Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust fundraising.
- Blakedown Landscapes is the preferred contractor, with a proposed contract sum of £5.174m.
- Work is expected to start on 9 November and continue until November 2027, meaning the ice rink cannot return to its usual Pavilion site this winter.
What Cabinet is being asked to decide
The official Cabinet report asks councillors to approve a £1.6m budget increase and delegate authority to enter the main works contract. The contract award would remain subject to confirmation of an additional £500,000 from Historic England.
The council’s existing contribution remains £750,000, including £440,000 funded through borrowing. The report says the higher budget is intended to be met by National Lottery Heritage Fund money, a Historic England application and donations raised by the Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust.
The funding table lists £6.987m as secured and £1.051m still to be secured. That outstanding amount includes anticipated public-sector grant funding and external fundraising. If all of it does not arrive, officers say parts of the scope could be removed to keep spending within the available budget.
Why the cost changed
The project was estimated at £6.264m in August 2023. By detailed design in December 2025, the forecast had risen to £8.228m. A design and procurement review reduced that to £7.139m in February 2026, before the tender process produced the current £8.038m plan.
The council attributes the changes to construction inflation, higher material prices, planning delays, the effects of the pandemic and additional professional fees. Four contractors were shortlisted from 14 expressions of interest and two submitted tenders. Blakedown Landscapes was selected as the preferred bidder after evaluation and negotiation.
The proposed construction contract is £5.174m. The wider project budget also covers professional fees, activities and an £835,000 contingency.
What the Royal Pavilion Gardens restoration would change
Historic England placed the gardens on its Heritage at Risk Register in 2017. The project is designed to restore Regency planting, improve paths and entrances, reinstate historic-style boundary railings, protect biodiversity and create better visitor and community facilities.
A Changing Places toilet is included and would be free to use through the RADAR Key scheme. The report also proposes education and community activity and a forum intended to give local groups a continuing voice in how the gardens are used.
The works would affect the usual winter programme. The report says the project team explored whether the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink could return for winter 2026/27, but construction would occupy the site and delaying the start would add cost and funding risk.
Why it matters locally
This is not only a heritage scheme. The gardens connect the Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Brighton Dome and form one of the busiest pedestrian spaces in the city centre. The construction period will therefore affect residents, visitors, nearby businesses and event planning for about a year.
The accessibility improvements are substantial, but the funding picture is not completely closed. The difference between an £8m headline and the money already secured is the most important detail for residents to watch.
What residents need to know
- Read the Cabinet agenda and reports before the meeting.
- The meeting is listed for 10.30am on 15 October in the Council Chamber at Hove Town Hall.
- Do not assume the 9 November start is final until Cabinet has voted and the remaining funding and contract conditions are confirmed.
- People planning a winter visit should not expect the ice rink at its traditional Pavilion Gardens location.
Brighton Locals’ view
Restoring a heavily used heritage garden and adding a Changing Places facility are strong public benefits. The project also has a credible delivery timetable and a named preferred contractor.
However, approval should not blur the difference between committed funding and expected fundraising. The council and the trust should publish a simple funding update before the contract is signed and clearly identify any elements that would be removed if the remaining £1.051m is not secured.
What to watch next
The key points are Cabinet’s decision on 15 October, the Historic England funding outcome, contract execution planned for 22 October and whether work begins on 9 November. Any change to scope, access routes or the completion date should be published before construction starts.
Bottom line
Brighton is close to starting a major restoration of one of its best-known public spaces, but the final contract depends on councillors approving the revised budget and the remaining external money being confirmed.
Related: Brighton council’s wider 2026/27 budget pressure explained and our current guide to Brighton museums.
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