Brighton Greenway, Great Britain

Brighton Greenway is a narrow strip of brown-turned-green spaces with a walking path through the centre. It leads from New England Road all the way to Brighton Station, though there are plans to extend it to the Preston Park area. The greenway runs mostly between 5-10 story apartment buildings. The central location and the heavy development either side of the greenway makes it Brighton and Hove’s ‘most urban’ wildlife space.

Raised vegetable beds on one area of the narrow greenway provide some produce to those who maintain the greenway. (source: Jasmine Cook 2022)

Along it are different places to sit and socialise, on benches and on open patches of grass. There are also raised vegetable beds. The greenway though established by QED, an urban regeneration development company, has been maintained and enhanced over the years by a local group of volunteers called Friends of Brighton Greenway. The greenway also pays respects to the history of the site which is that of the old locomotive works and goods yard.  Tall locomotive pillars used to raise a track have been kept and have now got large sculptures of forge and garden tools. The old locomotive cast Iron bridge makes up part of the greenway taking users over New England Road, and some of the apartments parallel to the greenway have been built keeping the old archways of the locomotive yard as part of the structure.

The retained locomotive track pillars are still visible and highlighted on the Greenway. (source: QED 2022)

The greenway is protected because of it’s classification as a local wildlife site under the Brighton and Hove City Council, and it is recognised locally for being ‘important for nature conservation and biodiversity’. Although not actually connected the greenway makes up part of an important ‘chain’ of wild habitats that include Preston and Withdean Parks and lead all the way to the South Downs. The Brighton Greenway serves as an excellent example of regenerating urban waste spaces to create a continuous green landscape which can be used to enhance public wellbeing.

The Greenway extends all the way up to Brighton Station. (source: Jasmine Cook 2022)

For further information see the Friends of Brighton Greenway’s website here.

Image: On the Brighton Greenway – a narrow space to enhance biodiversity, safety and wellbeing in an urban backstreet area. (source: Jasmine Cook 2022)

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