THOUSANDS FIGHT TO SAVE ICONIC VENUE
Car clubs back campaign to stop ‘vocal minority’ shutting off Madeira Drive – finale of hundreds of car runs – permanently
More than 3900 classic car fans have signed a petition calling for Brighton’s Madeira Drive – from which campaigners are trying to permanently ban motor vehicles – to reopen as soon as possible.
Members of Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet met last night (23 June) to discuss a petition on the future of the site, used as the venue for the Brighton Speed Trials and the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run. The seafront site is currently closed to vehicles as part of the city’s coronavirus lockdown measures.
Brighton and Hove Motor Club chairman, Leonard Wooller, said: ‘There is a faction trying to close Madeira Drive for good. We’d like to see exemptions for events.’
Brighton and Hove City Council has been debating the future of vehicle events on Brighton’s Madeira Drive.
Madeira Drive, which has been used as a dedicated motorsport and classic car venue from as early as 1905 when it was surfaced in Tarmac, has been closed to traffic since 20 April owing to coronavirus restrictions.
The city council’s Chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Anne Pissaridou, said: ‘ We will continue to listen to residents, businesses and events organisers about vehicle access to Madeira Drive. Temporarily closing the road has allowed cyclists and pedestrians to exercise safely and we have received a lot of positive feedback. The council is obliged to debate any petition with more than 1,250 signatures.’ Concerns have been growing as to whether or not Madeira Drive will be permanently closed to traffic, thereby putting future London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, London to Brighton Classic Car Run, Pioneer Run, Ace Café runs and Mini runs at risk.
An online petition launched on 7 June and backed publicly by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs, has already attracted nearly 4000 signatures. It said: ‘A minority are lobbying to ban all motor vehicles permanently. Please sign the petition to stop this.’
Brighton and Hove Motor Club chairman, Leonard Wooller, said: ‘There is a faction [of the council] trying to close Madeira Drive for good. Whether the council will re-open the road or not, we’re not sure, but we have been speaking to their outside events team. We are not running the 2020 Speed Trials because of concerns over social distancing, but next year is also in danger. We’d like to see an exemption made specifically for events; there’s already a wide promenade and cycle lanes on Madeira Drive and cars and bicycles have co-existed there for years without issue; shops and cafes also benefit from the spectator trade. We’d also lose access to our club house, which we’ve had since 1948.
‘The closures currently run on weekdays between 8am and 8pm which is okay during Wednesdays as we open from 7.30-ish, but on a weekend we couldn’t get access – and people come from as far as Bexhill, Eastbourne and Crawley.’
Other event organisers have said that they’re confident that an exemption or equivalent could be secured. The Veteran Car Run had said it was working with Brighton and Hove City Council for the 2020 event; clerk of the course, Neil Carr-Jones, said that it was working on the planning for the upcoming run ‘with no planned changes of any significance at this stage’ ( Classic Car Weekly, 3 June).
London to Brighton Classic Car Run organiser, Stephen Smith, said: ‘ We moved our event in consultation with the local council about availability on Madeira Drive and were offered the October date. We have been in touch with them and we’re currently still full steam ahead planning for our event to finish there as planned.’