Earlier this week, Brighton & Hove News ran a relatively small item about Sea Lanes on Madeira Drive wanting to move an existing bike rack facility away from the pavement and onto the beach pebbles. The move is required, Sea Lanes, says because the facility’s current location immediately adjacent to the road enables thieves to quickly cut through locks and load bikes into waiting vehicles. In the new position, the bike racks would be overlooked by the reception staff.
In addition, though, Sea Lanes has requested permission to replace the pavement-side racks with a small swim retail unit. In response to this idea, several members of the public have left comments on the Brighton & Hove News website. One, for example, has suggested that the ‘small retail unit’ is the MAIN reason for the planning request. Another didn’t mince his words: ‘This reason to move the bike racks is total rubbish and ONLY about using the site for a shop.’
The planning application documents can be found online on the Council website. The proposal states: ‘Sea Lanes has now been operational for over 1.5 years and has proved very successful and is well used by both locals and visitors to the city. A large number of users, particularly swimmers, travel to Sea Lanes by bike. A user survey indicated that 38% of swimmers travel by bike. The existing bike shelter is well used; however there have been a number of issues with bike thefts from the shelter. Its location immediately adjacent to the road enables thieves to quickly cut through locks and load bikes into waiting vehicles. It is therefore proposed to move the existing bike parking shelter to the south side of the Volks railway.’
‘- It is considered more secure as it will be overlooked by the swimming pool reception and when the sauna is in operation users of the sauna.
- It is less visible for any opportunist thieves.
- Any thieves will have to move bikes from across the railway tracks to any waiting vehicle in the road.
- It is a better location for pool users, who are the main users of the bike shelter.
- Having a shelter in this location will be necessary when the temporary planning permission for all structures on the north side of the railway expires.’
As for the new ‘swim retail unit’, this will offer swim-related products/equipment to pool users and sea swimmers. Moreover, Sea Lanes suggests ‘a swim retail offer is fundamental to [its] vision for a National open Water Swimming Centre’.
According to Brighton & Hove News, ‘brazen bike theft is common along Madeira Drive’. In September 2023, it says, a thief broke a bike lock and rode an expensive ebike away even though he was openly being filmed by a member of the public. A subsequent appeal failed to track him down. Then, in 2024, a serial bike thief was jailed for a year after being caught on CCTV cutting locks of bikes, including one he stole from Sea Lanes.
Nevertheless, some of those who left comments on the news article were heavily cynical of the planning application.
J T offered this: ‘I’m pretty sure “give us a shop or your bikes will get stolen” is like some kind of blackmail but here we are.’
Hove Actually was more direct: ‘Bike thieves are notoriously men/boys who WALK up and have the lock off in seconds who then cycle away. This reason to move the bike racks is total rubbish and ONLY about using the site for a shop.’
And Dion Nutley’s comment took aim at ‘bike snobs’ in general: ‘If your bike’s re-sale value is over £100, it will get stolen no matter where you leave it locked up in Brighton. Only a complete and utter cretin will leave an expensive bike locked to a bike rack.. but that’s what the “bike snobs” do… “look at me on my expensive bike and look at you on your lump of crap”… then next week they are whining that it’s stolen while you’re still mobile on your unstolen “lump of crap”.
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