[contentbox headline=”Brighton and Hove Seafront” type=”info”]Brighton and Hove beaches stretch for about 7 miles, from Hove Lagoon in the West to Rottingdean in the East. The seafront has bars, restaurants, nightclubs and amusement arcades, principally between the piers. Being less than an hour from London by train has made the city a popular destination, especially with big party groups. Brighton beach has a nudist area (by Kemptown near the easterly edge of the promenade). Brighton’s beach, which is a shingle beach up to the mean low tide mark, has been awarded a blue flag. The Monarch’s Way long-distance footpath heads west along the seafront above the beach.
Since the 1978 demolition of the open-air lido at Black Rock, the most easterly part of Brighton’s seafront, the area has been developed and now features one of Europe’s largest marinas. However, the site of the pool itself remains empty except for a skate park and graffiti wall, and further development is planned including a high-rise hotel which has aroused debate, mirroring proposals for the King Alfred leisure centre in Hove, which were pulled in 2008. In addition, part of the eastern side of the beach has been redeveloped into a sports complex, which has courts for anything from beach volleyball to ultimate Frisbee, and opened to the public in March 2007.[/contentbox]