Cabinet Member Decision
Subject: A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme - Traffic Regulation Orders
Date of Decision: 13th May 2026
Report of: Councillor Muten- Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure
Contact Officer: Name: Jasmin Barnicoat
Email: Jasmin.Barnicoat@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: Central Hove; South Portslade; Westbourne & Poets’ Corner; Wish;
Key Decision: No
1.1 This report provides a summary of the analysis for the A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) consultation and makes recommendations on how to proceed.
1.2 The proposals will improve active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling) infrastructure in a key part of the seafront with the installation of a separated two-way cycle lane; safer, better aligned crossings and junctions; and improvements to pavements and bus stops.
1.3 The proposals support the Council Plan goals to create an accessible, clean and sustainable city where health and wellbeing is promoted through active travel, and where it is easier for people to move around the city. The proposals are part of the council’s plans to address the city’s transport needs and challenges, and to invest in maintaining and upgrading our highway network.
The Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure:
2.1 Notes the outcome of the Traffic Regulation Order consultation as set out in Appendix 1 of this report.
2.2 Approves the removal of elements of the proposals relating to the relocation of the Tandridge Road bus stop and associated parking bay changes between Roman Road and Saxon Road(item 167 from deletion and items 65a, 65b and 65c from addition) from within TRO-02a-2026.
2.3 Agrees that the three Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO-02a-2026, TRO-02b-2026 and TRO-02c-2026) be sealed once the items detailed in 2.2 are removed and that the project proceeds to the construction phase.
3.1 In June 2024 Cabinet agreed the redesign options for the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road Active Travel scheme in line with their strategic vision to deliver a high-quality seafront cycle facility. At the same time, Cabinet gave agreement for officers to progress with designs for the connected, adjacent scheme – Wharf Road to the western city boundary. Both of these schemes have been combined together as the A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme.
3.3 The council was awarded £4.3 million of funding by Active Travel England after bids were submitted for the Active Travel Fund 3 and 4 funding programmes. The bids contained business cases and concept designs to make improvements along the road to support active travel. Additional funding would come from the Local Transport Grant (formerly referred to as Local Transport Plan funding) (see section 6).
3.4 From 16 June 2025 until 27 July 2025, a public consultation took place on the proposed designs for both schemes as phase 1 and phase 2 of the A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme. The response was overwhelmingly positive and Cabinet approved amendments to the scheme design following consideration of the public feedback at their meeting of 13 November 2025.
3.5 Following this extensive engagement with residents and stakeholders, three Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO-02a-2026, TRO-02b-2026 and TRO-02c-2026) were advertised (16 January 2026 to 06 February 2026) and were open for comments to be made on the proposals. Drawings for the traffic order consultation are attached in Appendix 2.
3.6 TRO-02a-2026 proposed to make changes to waiting, parking and loading restrictions on the Kingsway and some side roads in Zones L, N, R and W; TRO-02b-2026 proposed amendments to the Cycle Lane restrictions on Kingsway near Fourth Avenue, and make changes to waiting and parking restrictions in Boundary Road and Camden Street; and TRO-02c-2026 proposed to ban vehicles turning left from Kingsway (A259) onto Hove Street South.
3.7 It also gave notice to add new, amend or move existing crossings; provide lengths of cycle tracks; provide shared cycle paths on several sections along this route; and construct a raised table (maximum height 75mm) at certain locations.
3.8 The Council received 83 items of correspondence to the proposals from residents, businesses and stakeholders. This included 16 comments of support and 67 objections to the proposals. This figure is the number of signatories, as some responses were from more than one individual. In addition, some duplicates were received and have been removed from the figures.
3.9 The main objections are outlined below, whilst a full breakdown can be found in Appendix 1:
· 45 signatories (including a 43 signature petition) objected to the relocation of the Tandridge Road bus stop
· 5 signatories objected to the banned left turn from Kingsway into Hove St South. (A further 4 objected to a location where the movement ban was not proposed)
· 4 objections were received for the scheme / proposals
· 3 objections were received for the relocation of disabled bays near Boundary Rd junction
· 3 objections were received regarding the TRO and wider consultation process
3.10 After reviewing the concerns raised during the TRO consultation, officers recommend retaining the Tandridge Road bus stop in its current location and the parking between Roman Road and Saxon Road will therefore also remain as it currently is. This will not impact the overall scheme and no adverse impacts have been identified with this recommendation.
4.1 The first option is to retain the Tandridge Road bus stop in its present location and remove any items relating to the relocation of the Tandridge Road bus stop and associated parking bay changes between Roman Road and Saxon Road from TRO-2a-2026. The TROs can then be approved and sealed. This option would allow the proposals to be implemented with a minor design adjustment to reflect resident feedback, whilst still supporting the Council Plan goals to create an accessible, clean and sustainable city where health and wellbeing is promoted through active travel and making it easier for people to move around the city. The proposals are part of our plans to address the city’s transport needs and challenges, and to invest in maintaining and upgrading our highways network.
4.2 A second option is to acknowledge and consider the objections, but having done this, approve and seal the associated TROs without amendment and progress the scheme through to construction phase. This option would allow the proposals to be implemented in full, again supporting the Council Plan goals to create an accessible, clean and sustainable city. However, it would not take into account feedback from residents most affected by the relocation of the Tandridge Road bus stop. This feedback is considered to have merit due to the volume of objections received by those residents and business owners most directly impacted by this change.
4.3 A third option would be to re-design the scheme. Design options have been previously considered by Cabinet and approved. The supporting TRO has been advertised to support the agreed design. Any further amendments to the design specification would require extra funding to be sourced. It would also require more time to undertake a re-design with further public consultation required.
4.4 Finally, there is an option to do nothing and withdraw the proposals. The majority of the funding for the A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme is from Active Travel England, where they have already been asked to agree to delays in the council spending this allocation and approved a change request to move funding originally given for a different scheme to this project. If this project does not go ahead, they reserve the right to recover the funding by reducing future grant payments to the authority. Both phases of the scheme have also gained support from key stakeholders and strong public support, evidenced through the public consultation in June-July 2025 and the very few objections received as part of the TRO consultation. Not proceeding with the project could expose the council to public criticism.
5.1 Alongside extensive stakeholder engagement, a public consultation on proposals took place between Monday 16 June and Sunday 27 July 2025. The proposed scheme then progressed to the TRO stage.
5.2 Three TROs (TRO-02a-2026, TRO-02b-2026 and TRO-02c-2026) were advertised (16 January 2026 to 06 February 2026) and were open for comments to be made on the proposals. The TROs were advertised in The Argus, emailed to stakeholders and notices erected on street. They were also published on the council’s TRO webpage.
5.3 A summary of the comments received from the TRO consultation are outlined in this report at paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9 and attached in Appendix 1. Officers have considered objections and have made recommendations based on these objections.
6.1 The council was awarded £4.3 million of funding by Active Travel England to make improvements along the road to support active travel. £2.7 million has also been allocated from the Department for Transport’s Local Transport Grant (formerly Local Transport Plan) (spread over 3 years).
6.2 The proposals and recommendations highlighted in this report do not merit a significant amendment to the budget already identified for this scheme. The Scheme is funded primarily through grant awarded through the Active Travel Funds and Local Transport Grant. As there is no unsupported borrowing component identified for this scheme, there are no revenue budget implications as a result.
Name of finance officer consulted: David Wilder Date consulted: 31/03/26
7.1 The Council has the power to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and associated regulations. The three TROs referenced in this report (TRO‑02a‑2026, TRO‑02b‑2026 and TRO‑02c‑2026) have been advertised in accordance with the requirements of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996. The Council must consider all duly made objections before deciding whether the orders should be made, amended, or withdrawn.
7.2 In exercising these functions, the Council must ensure that relevant statutory purposes are properly considered — including, but not limited to, the improvement of road safety, the facilitation of traffic movement, and the provision of suitable and adequate parking facilities. The Council must also take into account its duties under Section 122 of the 1984 Act, which requires the Council as local highway authority to secure the expeditious, convenient and safe movement of traffic (including pedestrians) so far as practicable, having regard to factors such as local accessibility, environmental impact and public safety.
7.3 The Council also has duties under the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination and advance equality of opportunity. These duties apply to decisions concerning the TROs and must be taken into account in light of the Equalities Impact Assessment undertaken for the scheme
Name of lawyer consulted: Katie Kam Date consulted: 10/03/26
8.1 The risk implications of not supporting the requested decisions include the potential loss of Active Travel England funding as well as an overall increase in project costs.
8.2 In addition, it puts at risk the council objectives of providing a safe, accessible and clean city and delivering Our City Transport Plan 2035 to ensure residents, visitors and businesses are better connected.
9.1 The Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) for this project was initially included in the 13 November 2025 A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme Cabinet report. The EIA was further updated in accordance with the proposed Final General Highway Arrangement to reflect the impact and mitigation required for moving 2 specific disabled car user bays and the adjustments to the design to reflect feedback from disability groups. The EIA will also be reviewed during construction stages to reflect the potential for disruption to specific groups such as people with disabilities or who are elderly. The EIA will again be reviewed and amended upon scheme completion to reflect the final ‘as built condition’.
10.1 The scheme will improve sustainable travel and transport and support the health of those living and working in the city by providing them a safe cycle route to access key amenities and areas of the city. It includes a separated two-way cycle lane which forms part of the National Cycle Network 2 providing a strategic cycle route connecting to a neighboring authority and across the city.
10.2 New pavements, bus stops and safer, better aligned crossings and junctions are also included in the designs to improve accessibility and active travel.
10.3 Space will also be allocated in the new alignment of on-street parking for electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
10.4 Further details can be found in the report to the Cabinet meeting on 13 November 2025, agenda item 68.
11. Health and Wellbeing Implications:
11.1 The A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme feeds into the council’s priorities and vision for Brighton & Hove - Make it easier for people to move around the city, by continuing to invest in maintaining and upgrading our highways network.
12. Procurement implications
12.1 The construction of the A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme will be procured as a call-off contract under the Council’s existing Highways Services Framework. This call-off contract will exceed £1million and procurement was agreed in the November 2025 Cabinet report.
13. Crime & disorder implications:
13.1 Not applicable.
14.1 The number of concerns raised during the TRO process were low, particularly when considered along with the full public consultation. So, after careful consideration of the comments and all the concerns that were raised during the TRO consultation, officers have concluded that the only amendment required is in TRO-2a-2026 where the items relating to the relocation of the Tandridge Road bus stop and associated parking bay changes between Roman Road and Saxon Road are removed.
14.2 Many objections presented were not directly related to the TRO so do not warrant withdrawal of the proposals. While there were some concerns raised, most were either misunderstanding of the aspects being changed by the TRO or general comments related to the scheme. It is therefore recommended that once the aforementioned line items have been removed from TRO-2a-2026, all the TROs be sealed, and the project proceeds to the construction phase under delegated authority.
Supporting Documentation
1. A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme TRO Comment Summary
2. A259 Hove to Portslade Active Travel Scheme Traffic Regulation Order Plans