BRIGHTON COUNCIL REPLACES SEAFRONT PAINT SHADE

Brighton & Hove City Council has chosen RAL light green to replace Brighton Blue on seafront railings, saying the change will save money. The turquoise shade has been used on Brighton’s seafront for more than a century. The council says its new specialist coating is the closest available match to the original oil-based paint. It says the coating will protect the cast ironwork for longer than standard paint. Councillor Jacob Allen said microscopic paint analysis helped identify the shade used on Madeira Terrace since the 1920s.

Claire Blyth, co-founder of the design PR agency Red Setter, said the precise shade forms part of Brighton’s identity. “It’s part of our history,” she said. Some residents said changing the colour would diminish the city’s heritage. Others welcomed plans to repaint railings and posts that had chipped and rusted. Stew Curtin, who was on the seafront, said the shades looked similar and welcomed the absence of rust.

Allen said sea winds had damaged cast iron structures, leaving parts of the railings and Madeira Arches rusty. He said the council was restoring historic lamp columns, bollards, railings and the Madeira Terrace arches. The council says modern preparation methods and protective coatings will help maintain those structures. Allen said the longer-lasting coating would reduce the need for repeat work. In a July report, the council forecast a £19.882 million risk of overspending in 2026/27, largely because of rising demand and complexity in social care services.