It has been running along Brighton seafront since 1883 and has become a major tourist attraction in its own right but according to a \u201cleading architect\u201d the Volks Electric Railway is \u201cin the way\u201d and needs to be moved to allow for the major regeneration of the sea front. The claims were made by Nick Lomax ahead of a public meeting into the future of Brighton and Hove\u2019s seafront as a whole.<\/p>\n
In an article published in the Brighton Argus Mr Lomax claimed that the Volks Electric Railway \u201cdoes nothing for that part of the beach\u201d and that he \u201cwould prefer to see it relocated.\u201d He has a vision for the seafront which includes the construction of a raised monorail and that vision means that over 130 years of history should just be ripped up apparently. Mr Lomax goes on to say: \u201cThe whole seafront naturally divides into a number of sections. Each section has its problems and therefore its solutions. I would maintain it is the Volk\u2019s Railway that has prevented the development of that part of the seafront. What else could it be? You can\u2019t put it in the air \u2013 I don\u2019t see it working. It\u2019s uncomfortable and slow. I don\u2019t have any great love for it, I have to say.\u201d (To be honest we don\u2019t think he needed to make the last comment as it blatantly obvious he doesn\u2019t have a great love for the railway!)<\/p>\n
Fortunately it is pretty unlikely that Mr Lomax will get his wish as in September of last year the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded \u00a31.65 million towards restoring the railway which will hopefully cement its position on Brighton\u2019s seafront and show that it can be a tourist asset and not just \u201cget in the way\u201d as the great architect seems to think.<\/p>\n
In the same Brighton Argus article Ian Gledhill, chairman of the Volk\u2019s Electric Railway Association, commented: \u201cThe charm of it is that it\u2019s a delightful ride along the seafront. If you put it anywhere else it would just be a funfair ride. It\u2019s a historic monument. There are 13 crossing places on the railway so you don\u2019t have to walk too far to get to the beach. I don\u2019t see it as a problem. Where would you relocate too? We have just been awarded \u00a31.6 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund and if we moved the railway we would have to give that back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It has been running along Brighton seafront since 1883 and has become a major tourist attraction in its own right but according to a \u201cleading architect\u201d the Volks Electric Railway is \u201cin the way\u201d and needs to be moved to … Continue reading