Brighton’s Forgotten Arches Become Hidden Encampment as Council Looks Set to Clear Site

Brighton’s Madeira Terraces, fenced off to the public due to safety concerns, have quietly become home to a growing group of rough sleepers—some of whom appear to have obtained a key to the council-installed gates, allowing them to come and go freely and let others in.

Once a grand symbol of Victorian engineering, the arches have been in a state of serious disrepair for years, prompting Brighton & Hove City Council to close off access while awaiting long-promised restoration works. But behind the padlocked gates, a different kind of occupation has emerged.

Our reporter, walking along Madeira Drive one afternoon, witnessed the gate being opened from the inside to allow a man to enter. Beyond the barrier, a patchwork of shelters and personal belongings suggests a small, unofficial community has taken shape—living beneath a structure the council itself has deemed unsafe.

Despite the formal closure, there appears to be no active enforcement. Those living inside seem to manage the space themselves, controlling entry with a key and maintaining what has become a hidden encampment on public land.

Members of the public are left questioning the contradiction. “We’re told it’s too dangerous to walk through, yet people are living in there,” said one passerby. “It’s either unsafe for everyone or it’s not. The council can’t have it both ways.”

The growing settlement has reignited concerns about homelessness in Brighton, particularly along the seafront, where more people are sleeping rough amid a worsening housing crisis. The shelter offered by the arches may be one of the few options available—but it also raises serious questions about safety and accountability.

Today (6th August), the council looks set to clear the site, with staff seen nearby and activity suggesting preparations are underway. It remains unclear what will happen to those who had been sheltering there.

Brighton & Hove City Council has been asked for comment, including how the keys may have been obtained. At the time of publication, no response has been received.

With the arches still off-limits to the public but until now quietly occupied by those with nowhere else to go, the issue highlights an uncomfortable truth: while the city waits for heritage funding and restoration to materialise, some of Brighton’s most vulnerable residents have been living in the shadows of its forgotten landmarks.