Brighton council replaces custom 'Brighton Blue' seafront paint with standard RAL colour

Mixed · 2Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) is replacing 'Brighton Blue', a shade of aqua used on the city's seafront railings and lampposts for over a century, with a colour from the standard range. 1 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail reports that the original is a custom-made colour, which makes it more expensive, and that the council chose RAL light green as the closest match from the standard range. 1 Left · 1Metro says it is understood that getting a specialist colour made can cost thousands of pounds. 2

Mixed · 2Some locals criticised the change on Facebook, one saying 'More of Brighton and Hove's heritage being sacrificed by this council' and another that the colour is 'too modern for Victorian railing and lampposts'. 1 2 Mixed · 2Others welcomed it, arguing that the existing paint is chipped and rusting and the new finish will look better. 1 2 Mixed · 2Councillor Jacob Allen, cabinet member for public realm, said the council is using a specialist, cost-effective, long-lasting coating system and the closest available match to the turquoise used on Madeira Terrace since the 1920s, as determined by microscopic paint analysis. 1 2

Mixed · 2Allen said the council welcomes the savings but that its primary aim is not short-term cost reduction; he said the coatings should extend maintenance cycles and may generate longer-term savings, and that the matched colour applies to restoration projects such as Madeira Terrace and the seafront lamp columns. 1 2 Mixed · 2He said the new colour will very closely match the old one in daylight, that the terrace's new lighting will create different effects after dark, and that the colours will become more muted over time. 1 2 Mixed · 2Both outlets note the council's budget pressure: a July report forecast an overspend risk of almost £20 million (Metro: £19.882 million) in 2026/27, driven largely by social care costs. 1 2