Undercliff Walk to reopen behind Brighton Marina

The Undercliff Walk behind Brighton Marina is due to reopen next week after being closed for six months.

The popular seafront path was closed in December and the cliffs in the area were monitored over the winter months after concerns about their stability.

The concerns arose after six months of unusually wet weather which started shortly after a drought was declared.

Brighton and Hove City Council said: “The rain that fell in 2012 was similar in volume to the weather Brighton and Hove experienced in the run up to a major series of cliff falls in the winter of 2000-01.

“There have been no major cliff falls since that time and the council has carried out stabilisation work.”

Since December a large amount of chalk and flint rubble has fallen on to the promenade over the winter which is being cleared before the reopening.

While the path has been closed, the council has cleared the netting of accumulations of rubble using abseilers to loosen the nets and shake out the chalk and flint.

The council has also relaid a section of the promenade behind the Marina boatyard to improve the drainage.

Councillor Pete West, the chairman of the city’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, said: “We’re pleased to be able to reopen the Undercliff Walk along this stretch so that residents and visitors alike can enjoy our unique coastal path this summer.

“We have been working with geologists to help conserve the cliffs behind the Marina which form an important part of the city’s heritage.

“Visitors exploring the Undercliff Walk can view an information board showing how the cliffs here represent one of the best and most accessible records of ‘Ice Age’ climate change in north western Europe.”