UK

'Tent city' grows on seafront despite council threats

Zac Sherratt
Mon, 18 September 2023 

Tents and bikes on Brighton beach on Monday (Image: The Argus)

Yet more tents have pitched near to a controversial beach encampment despite officials pledging to remove them.

It is now more than a month since the “tent city” first appeared near the bandstand on Brighton beach, with the first said to have arrived in early August.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said on August 29 they were working to remove the encampment "as soon as possible”.

Last Wednesday (September 13), council officers gave occupants two days to leave the site but on Monday morning (September 18), not only were the tents still in place, a new one was seen on the nearby pétanque pitch and another on Hove Lawns.

The Argus: A tent on Hove Lawns and another on the petanque pitch (right)

A tent on Hove Lawns and another on the petanque pitch (right) (Image: The Argus)

But officials say it is not a straightforward process to remove the tents and their occupants from the beach and surrounding areas.

“We are aware of the new tents on the beach and are working with the police to arrange for their removal as soon as due legal process allows,” said a spokesman for the city council.

“In legal terms the timescales for us taking action on encampments is dependent on the individual circumstances of the camp dwellers.

“We cannot legally take action without taking into account these individual circumstances.

The Argus: Tents on Brighton beach on Monday morning (September 18).

Tents on Brighton beach on Monday morning (September 18). (Image: The Argus)

“We are disappointed that the two beach encampments that have been there for longer have not moved on as we have requested.”

The spokesman said a community protection notice has now been served on the encampment.

“This gives us the legal power to force the removal of the tents if necessary if the tent dwellers do not move on,” he said.

“Faced with this we very much hope that the occupants will choose to engage with the support we have offered them and remove their tents voluntarily.”

Beachgoers previously raised concerns about antisocial behaviour on the beach, with one saying their favourite spot was "ruined".

They say people have been seen injecting drugs in broad daylight, defecating on a beach groyne and fist fighting next to families and children in the area.

Sussex Police were contacted for comment.