Bereaved families and friends who want to leave flowers at an accident site for more than a fortnight will be expected to apply to the council for permission.
Those setting up spontaneous shrines and memorials – or anyone adding to them – will be barred from leaving anything more substantial such as “tables, vases, trinkets, stones, gazebos, books and ribbons”.
These would be removed as would all unsanctioned items and all floral tributes after 14 days or if they overspilt the “capacity” of the site or posed a threat to public health and safety.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Items considered by senior executives to be political, divisive or offensive will be removed immediately.”
The proposal comes about six months after a memorial to hostages kidnapped and killed by Hamas on Saturday 7 October 2023 was forced to move for a makeover of Palmeira Square, Hove.
Last month, Fiona Monro, 58, of Belgrave Place, Brighton, was given an 18-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £1,200 court costs after a jury found her guilty of stealing part of the memorial. She was cleared of criminal damage.
But on several occasions, vandals damaged the memorial which included flowers, soft toys and a photo album containing pictures of those murdered as well as photos of hostages whose fate was unknown.
Other informal memorials remain in place across the area, most commonly at the site of road accidents.
The new policy proposal is due to be discussed by the council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee at Hove Town Hall on Tuesday 24 March.
The proposal would cover other types of memorial on council land including plaques, benches, trees, gardens and statues.
And a report to councillors said that, under the policy, the Safety Advisory Group should be consulted about any public vigil or gathering to ensure “multi-agency awareness of the activity”.
The report is illustrated with images from the Palmeira Square memorial, which included yellow ribbons tied around trees, although the specific memorial doesn’t get a mention.
The council said that, for long-term memorials, the council accepted donations for benches and trees with a choice of site for both.
Applications for historical memorials would usually require a 20-year wait and would be assessed for historical and cultural significance.
The application process is expected to take eight weeks and, if an application is refused, there would be an appeals procedure.
The council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee is due to meet at Hove Town Hall at 4pm on Tuesday 24 March. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.