1. Purpose of the report and policy context

1.1 To receive deputations presented at the public engagement meeting held on the 19 October 2023.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That the committee responds to the petition either by noting it or where it is considered more appropriate, calls for an officer report on the matter.

3. Context and background information

3.1 To receive the following:

(1) Deputation concerning Protection of Pedestrians and homes at the junction of Upper Abbey Road, Whitehawk Hill and the hospital South Service Road

Aim of Deputation

Residents of Upper Abbey Road demand the reinstatement of barrier to protect pedestrians and homes at the junction of UAR, Whitehawk Hill Road and the hospital South Service Road.

Background

following several accidents in the late 1990s, when cars careered down Whitehawk Hill Road and crashed into homes on Upper Abbey Road, protective barriers were installed by the council to protect homes and pedestrians

the area protected by the barriers is at a 3 way junction on a steep, busy hill with narrow roads which provide pedestrian and vehicle access to and from 2 special schools, a primary school, the RSCH, including the children’s hospital, and numerous homes, including sheltered housing, in the immediate neighbourhood and the Bristol Estate

the barriers remained in place from the late 1990s until the summer of 2023; they frequently served their protective purpose as shown by repeated damage, necessitating occasional repairs and replacement of panels.

Summer 2023

July - with no consultation and no warning notices posted, the barrier was removed to facilitate the installation of a dropped kerb at the precise spot which the barrier has protected for the past 25 years; this work was completed to facilitate the erection of hoardings for the next phase of demolition and construction work on the RSCH

had they been consulted, residents would have explained the history of the installation of the protective barrier and the need for its immediate reinstatement to protect homes and pedestrians

August 21st – early morning, residents awoken by the terrifying sound of an out of control car speeding down WHR and crashing into homes at the precise point previously protected by the barriers; the boundary wall destroyed and window sill of 33 UAR damaged, some lesser damage to 35 UAR, lamp post out of action: the car was stolen, driver fled the scene

August 28th – car crashes into already damaged wall: on this occasion the driver was the car owner

September – parked van rolls down WHR after handbrake failure, only a collision with a UAR resident’s car driving up the hill prevented the van descending further

cars, vans and lorries routinely mount the kerb at the precise point previously protected by the barriers

Council response so far

response from the council transport department contains factual inaccuracies and is incoherent

What next?

Current situation leaves pedestrians in danger and residents, including very young children, feeling unsafe in and around their homes

wall needs to be repaired, at cost of £4,000, but could be destroyed again if barrier not replaced

we demand the immediate reinstatement of the barriers so they can continue to offer protection to residents and pedestrians as they have done for the past 25 years, the council and its councillors must do what is necessary to protect people and homes

Signed by:

Peter Kutnick

Mary E Bennett & Jamie Bennett

Freya Harper & Peter Moore

Melanie Vevers

Marylis Redpath & Julian Redpath

Helen Lowe & Ken Lawrence

Zoe Watson & Bud Beale

Supporting information:

A comparison of a row of houses Description automatically generated

A ladder next to a wall Description automatically generated with medium confidence

Response from Transport Projects Team:

Thank you for your enquiry received via your ward councillor, I am sorry to hear of the incidents that have happened near/ to your property in Upper Abbey Road, Brighton.

Having had a look into this on site and from the various correspondence received from residents I would like to highlight that guard railings are installed for pedestrian safety only, these should not used for protecting the residents’ boundary wall from vehicles. I would imagine these were installed to prevent pedestrians crossing at this busy section near the hospital delivery entrance. Since these were implemented, the road has also been subject to a speed reduction from 30 to 20 MPH as part of the citywide speed reduction project. Moving traffic offences such as speeding are enforced by Sussex police and should be highlighted via the operation crackdown website via the following link Operation Crackdown

Having spoken to our Highway Operations team we are looking to remove any damaged guard railings across the city as generally they cause more issues than they solve and can impede pedestrians’ movements, especially those with limited mobility. These particular guard railings were removed as part of improvement works as they were damaged beyond repair and at such an angle, they also were the cause of obstruction to the pedestrian flow in the area.

The new dropped kerb has been installed to facilitate the improvements works as hoarding will be installed on the eastern footpath preventing pedestrians from crossing, warning signs have also been installed to highlight the crossing area to motorists. I will highlight issues raised with the appropriate team who are working alongside the hospital with the development works to see if they have any additional comments to add.

Currently, the council are not in a position to action additional remedial works until we've received information from the police report on the incident, from this we could make some minor adjustments based on their comments.

These could include the following:

• Additional signs and road markings.

• Changing the Give way to a Stop junction at the bottom of Whitehawk Hill Road

• Consideration marking Whitehawk Hill road eastbound.

I realise this isn’t the answer you seek after the recent events, but hope the information is of some help.