Brighton’s oldest church, St. Nicholas, gets approval for a new lighting project, improving safety and highlighting its historic value.
The new lights will brighten the old building. It sits at the top of Church Street. Plans include path lights and LED columns, along with spotlights and wall lights.
A councillor, Sue Shanks, saw a light show idea that used colors. She wondered about its purpose and preferred better regular lighting instead.
Liz Davies, a Cityparks officer, spoke, saying the lighting plan came from a study. A colored lighting idea failed before because it was too bright and harmed wildlife.
Another councillor, Carol Theobald, liked the new plan, thinking it lit the building well. She had trouble walking there at night because it was dark and wet.
Liz Loughran leads the planning group and walks there often, finding it dark. She believes the lights are needed now to protect the historic site, adding that any harm is very small.
St Nicholas Church is very old and in a protected area. People built it almost 700 years ago to serve Brighton’s first parish, making it Brighton’s oldest church.
Two other old churches exist nearby: St Helen’s Church in Hangleton and St Peter’s Church in Preston village. They date back to the 11th and 13th centuries.