Brighton & Hove's REGENCY Magazine » Seafront

West Pier Lit Up By Lasers

REGENCY — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 11:00:40 +0000

It was a futuristic treat for residents as last week the West Pier was lit up by computer-controlled green lasers. The lasers setup was designed in part by local artist Niki Best, and executed by French lighting company Creatmosphere. Many turned out to witness the illusion, despite the snow that began to fall earlier in the day. It was most impressive and I hope more such events are planned around the city.

Body Shop Environmental Shame

O Dear

REGENCY — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 10:59:33 +0000

Despite the start of the clearing of the remains of the West Pier it seems that the developers behind the Brighton O are still short of funds, as REGENCY reported several issues ago. They have even been forced to appeal on local TV for someone to drop something into their begging bowl – sorry, I mean take advantage of the sponsorship opportunities.

Ceremony Marks 25th Anniversary  Of Brighton Hotel Bombing

REGENCY — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:54:10 +0000

Lord Tebbit and his wife Margaret, who was paralysed in the bombing

In the early hours of 12 October, 25 years ago, residents of Brighton and Hove were woken by the sound of an explosion. A bomb, planted by the IRA to strike at the heart of Margaret Thatcher’s government, tore a gaping hole straight through the Grand Hotel. Their primary target, Margaret Thatcher herself, escaped unscathed, but five people lost their lives in the attack.

25 years on and people again gathered in the Grand Hotel to witness the unveiling of a plaque in memory of those who lost their lives. Lord Tebbit and his wife, who was paralysed by the blast and confined to a wheelchair for the past 25 years, were in attendance to speak of the dedication and selflessness demonstrated by the emergency services that night.

Whilst the structural scars of the Grand healed quickly it was clear that was not the case for many present, who still suffered from the emotional scars of the attack. Although a sombre occasion Lord Tebbit raised the mood considerably with several quips, such as referring to when everyone present meet again “in another 25 years”.

Letters: Citizen Power Over Marina Appeal

REGENCY — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:52:22 +0000

Early in November Explore Living’s appeal, to try and overturn Brighton & Hove City Council’s decision to refuse Planning Permission for their development in the Marina, begins at the Brighton Centre.

At the beginning of September a local citizen, Bill Impey, started a petition against the potential loss of the views of our white cliffs, the downland coming down to the sea and the settings of the Listed Regency buildings, should these towers be built. He, and a small group, stood on the pavement collecting signatures from passers-by, both locals and tourist with amazing results. Petition forms were emailed out to a network and REGENCY magazine delivered them in relevant places.

In less than a month many thousands of signatures have been collected and the word spread across the country – even to the USA from where a former resident airmailed a petition form. Forms were posted in from all over the country. We honestly didn’t expect such an overwhelming response.

Several delegates from the Labour Party Conference signed and were amazed that this development had ever been allowed to go forward. They obviously preferred our lovely seafront on a warm sunny lunchtime to the Conference Centre.

All the forms have now been sent to the Inspectorate to meet their deadline and I would like to thank everyone who helped make this important Petition so successful. We hope it will make a difference. Our views are our heritage.

Stella McCrickard
 Lewes Crescent

Letters: Feedback From Last Month’s Feature On Seafront Developments, Written By  Valerie Paynter

REGENCY — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:49:57 +0000

As a local resident and member of Brighton Sailing Club, I cannot but agree with Valerie Paynter’s case against ”i360″ and “Brighton O”. Brighton & Hove City Council has gone on quite long enough with central government’s accent on alcohol-fuelled “cheap and nasty”. It has brought no benefit to the nation at large and certainly not to this city. The process has run its course and councillors should understand that ”i360″ and “Brighton O”, even before they get off the ground, belong to a decaying era whose buzz words like “pro-active” and “joined-up thinking” will soon go the way of T-Rex.

These tacky and meretricious developments, the one resembling a bog-standard pin and the other a rolled-up condom minus the teat, do not even have the merit of being aesthetic. They do not even begin to approximate Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower for looks.

In passing, I should like to wish Stella McCrickard of www.savebrighton.com the best in her fight to conserve our chalk cliffs at the Marina from the commercial intents of Explore Living.

Dr. Yen-Chung Chong 
Ship Street, Brighton

Letters: Gill Mitchell Is A Moaner

REGENCY — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:53:25 +0000

If prizes were issued for hypocrisy, then surely Gill Mitchell, leader of the Labour group of councillors, would win the contest by a mile.

In The Argus (26th August) she has the gall to suggest the seven top officers are each receiving in excess of £100,000. I might agree that these sums do seem somewhat excessive, if it weren’t for the fact that it was the previous Labour administration, in which she held high office, that bumped up the salaries to their present level in the first place.

It seems Mrs. Mitchell is at her happiest when moaning about the present administration, be it the cost of repairing the bandstand here or the state of the seafront railings and Madeira Drive there, conveniently forgetting that her party had more than twenty years in which to arrest this shocking decline.

The dereliction of our city is a direct result of Labour’s dereliction of duty – a dereliction which cost most Labour councillors their jobs at the last elections, and whilst the Tories are not perfect, at least they are restoring some of the city’s pride.

If you can’t say anything positive Gill, please stop talking our city down.

Nigel Furness 
Cambridge Road

Letters: Developments On The Marina

REGENCY — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 11:01:48 +0000

How many citizens of Brighton and Hove, and the many tourists who visit our seafront, realise that the famous White Cliffs of Dover start right here in Kemp Town?

The views of the cliffs with the South Downs rolling down to the sea are enjoyed by motorists, bus passengers, cyclists and walkers who travel along the A259. They are our largely unspoiled heritage.

Xplore Living’s large proposed development in the Marina was turned down by the Planning Committee of Brighton & Hove City Council last December but they are appealing next month against that decision.

If the Appeal is upheld we will no longer see any of the beautiful cliffs as we look east and instead there will be densely packed concrete tower blocks coming up over the height of the cliffs. To prevent this please download our petition which you will find at www.savebrighton.com and which must be returned to the address given no later than the 4th October.

Help Save our Seafront both for our citizens and tourists.

Stella McCrickard 
Lewes Crescent

Developments On The Seafront

REGENCY — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:30:37 +0000

Most residents know that a viewing pod on a pole, cunningly labelled the “i360” to suggest it is cool, is scheduled to be built any time now, on the seafront, up where the West Pier kiosks moulder. In fact, planning consent for “the i360” expires on October 25th and they have still to cobble together the last £20 million needed to proceed (one has heard). Unsatisfied Conditions of Planning Consent (one of which involves the Brighton Sailing Club) will further block a start any time soon. And the West Pier cadaver crumbles on.

Replacement vultures are circling, however, directly threatening the future of the last of the organised boating activities still allowed to occupy and use Brighton beach between the piers – sailing.

Over the summer The Argus splashed with news of a 60 metre, spoke-less steel ring with observation capsules which developers propose putting on the seafront, right alongside the Brighton Sailing Club & just below the boarded-up West Pier kiosks (24.7.09). This glorified Ferris wheel would, either on its own, or in tandem with the “i360”, create disturbing and surreal visual noise right in front of our prized Metropole and Grand hotels. Who in their right mind would still book expensive, prestige rooms in either hotel once sea views are blocked by vast airborne gewgaws, supported on the ground by bulky, noisy fairground mechanics?

The Argus also informed us that no further Party Conferences are expected to book the Brighton Centre after this year’s Labour Party Conference (with fringe meetings and lodgings booked into and around the Metropole and Grand hotels). And the Brighton Centre alone is blamed. The identified need is to have it demolished with a mega-treat, connected to Churchill Square at the back, put up in its place.

I don’t buy that the loss of the seafront conference trade is just about The Brighton Centre facilities. Brighton itself is a contributing factor.

Drugs, alcohol, clubs and an over-reliance on transient youth & student culture have all left their indelible mark on Brighton (less so on Hove). Brighton is the destination of choice for the human equivalent of graffiti & there is an obvious gearing of commercial activity and investment that caters to them (and, sadly, I include the annual Pride carnival in this category along with Fat Boy Slim on the beach). Gotta get the kids in, right? Gotta stay on message and keep selling “vibrant” & “diverse”, right? I could write a whole essay on the disvalued diversity now lost to Brighton & Hove forever.

The economy now seems locked into vulgar, chav and “vibrant” mode. How are the “i360” and proposed “Brighton O” better than that? What kind of moneyspinners can they realistically expect to be? Are the views over the city really so special? When the sea air causes it to rust or crust, the “Brighton O” can be moved off (transportable) but the “i360” is to be driven into the fissured chalk to quite a depth to accommodate the 4-metre diameter & extremely tall central pole above ground with its pod going up and down, up and down. Planning consent did not ask for, require, or get any information on how the devil you decommission the “i360” when the time comes …
If Brighton per se and the Brighton Centre can’t deliver class, gravitas, culture, ambience, or whatever political parties need to hold their annual conferences here, why would the kind of person with the kind of money to book a room at the Grand Hotel come here either? What is the city per se, doing to sell itself as a good host to the kind of person these hotels need to bring in if they are to survive?

Brighton & Hove were once the destination of choice for royalty & the wealthy, dignified high rollers? What is offered now for the kind of visitor who reveres and wants to wallow in the grand Regency seafront Brighton & Hove possesses? If I may borrow from The Doors’ Jim Morrison: “what have we done to our fair city”?

And how does it change tack?

Directly below the Grand and Metropole hotels, based in the seafront arches, are a kayak club and the Brighton Sailing Club. By the club entrances the wall-mounted remains of Royal National Life Boat signs remind us this was once an RNLI station. Not so long ago, fish were sold direct from catches on this section of beach where fishermen also kept their boats. Moved along. Gone to the Shoreham harbour area now. Some are moored at the Marina. Not sophisticated enough, perhaps, for the City-by-the-Sea craving urban bling.

Looking at what Brighton & Hove City Council have done with the seafront over recent years, it is clear that a march of facilities and space-gobbling public art has steadily made its way towards the Brighton Sailing Club from the Brighton Pier (still the Palace Pier to many of us), whilst making no concessions to the long-held boating traditions around this spot whatsover. I’m told the boats keep getting moved further up the beach. Pesky boats. Tsk. And I sense that the Sailing Club is being left behind, that it too is in real danger of being edged out and pushed off the beach altogether.

One can count 35 catamarans and 5 other small sailing craft in a line along the pebbles in front of the arches clubhouse and changing rooms. The passing public sit on the “cats”, use them for photos, vandalise them. Even so, the Brighton Sailing Club has a waiting list of another 20 people looking to be based there.

Sailing is a class act. The healthy world of sailing should be good for Brighton’s tarnished image but there isn’t enough of it to over-ride the bad stuff. It is a discipline that offers physical and mental development, year-round pleasure & activity on the water with enhanced sea views for the rest of us. When sailboats are on the water, crowds form to look at them. Club members don’t even need to own their own boat. It is a sport, with a clean, respectable image, practised by men & women from all walks of life. Brighton Sailing Club members John Davys & James Parrott worry deeply now about what impact the proposed developments (“i360” & “Brighton O”) could have on the future of their sailing club.

Two basketball courts (with smashed night lamps on poles), two different areas of “public art” and two inflatable soccer pitches now encroach from either side of the little patch of beach where boats and sailing are still tolerated. The glorified Ferris wheel proposed for the area where the cheap and nasty inflatable soccer pitches currently rest would overhang the sailing club’s space, squeezing them still further. Walking along this area, one feels hemmed in by a lot of different objects & activities, all there, jumbled up too closely. On a warm summer’s day it is heaving with visitors. But what about when it rains or in winter?

And what’s in it for the Metropole or Grand Hotel visitor just above them? People do not spend hundreds of pounds a night to stay in hotel rooms overlooking a basketball court with broken lighting round it, “Brighton O’s”, a viewing pod going up and down or feral night life. We need to raise our game to attract the serious leisure spenders to these wonderful hotels. Does Brighton & Hove City Council really care – or will we see those hotels fail and attract developers who will convert them into flats? Sailing, directly overlooked by The Grand Hotel and The Metropole, if promoted and expanded into the adjacent areas would surely also promote the long-term survival of our flagship hotels quid pro quo and generally raise the tone of the area.

I somehow don’t believe that Brighton & Hove City Council has a year-round beach strategy that involves the Brighton Sailing Club or that it is valued or particularly welcome to remain on the seafront any more than the fishermen were. Why is this? Eastbourne has an internationally famous tennis tournament. Classy. Cowes has an internationally famous sailing week. Classy. The Henley Regatta. Classy. Brighton has……what? A mania for encouraging developers to erect huge blocks of flats along the seafront “that will put Brighton & Hove on the map” are all I’ve seen so far this century along with a wannabe wish to be labelled a Capital of Culture. Development strategies that are about throwing up huge buildings and “attractions” all over the seafront betray a lack of confidence and a kind of egotistical bluffing about culture.

Where is sailing on Brighton & Hove’s calendar of feted events to put the City on some part of anyone’s map? Why do the surfers at the Marina have to compete with developers to retain their bit of sea activity? Why is the Marina being turned into a housing estate? The city has filled the beach with petanque rinks, basketball, volleyball, etc. – all of which are constrained in their use by the weather, all of which one would like to see inland in parks and open spaces dedicated to play and sport for people of all ages. None of what is on the beach (Sailing and Kayak clubs apart) is in any way connected with the sea itself – our unique selling point!

Why hasn’t the Council enlisted sailing as a way to help counter the drug-death capital of England tag and the view of Brighton & Hove that got us featured in a guidebook called “Crap Cities”?

Development should be about retaining and ‘bigging-up’ worthwhile, permanent community asset organisations like the Brighton Sailing Club. Clear the seafront, I say, and bring on the windsurfing, sail boats and regattas. Quid pro quo, the city, the sailing club membership, the Metropole and Grand Hotels could all be doing each other a few long-term image and economic favours. And it counts as culture, dont’cha know!

Letters: The Secret (Sex) Life of Cyclists

REGENCY — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:27:46 +0000

I wonder if anyone could explain to me why Brighton & Hove City Council need to know my personal sexual preferences in order to decide on a Cycle Link Scheme along Madeira Drive?

It asked the usual questions of my postcode, disability and gender, but then went on to ask “Are you Heterosexual, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender, Other (please state)?”.

Whatever can this possibly have to do with cycle lanes? My reply was that it is none of your business!

In any event the survey was mailed out too late to visit the exhibition of the scheme in the Town Hall, but in my opinion anything that keeps the fast moving cyclists off the pavement on Madeira Parade is most welcome regardless of my sexuality – or theirs.

Molly, Arundel Terrace

REGENCY Interviews Brighton and Hove Council Leader Mary Mears

REGENCY — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:06:36 +0000

Brighton and Hove Council Leader Mary Mears

As we approach the end of the year our editor, Tony Davenport, went to meet the Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Councillor Mary Mears for a chin-wag about our city, over a nice cup of coffee.

TD: You’re a genuine local aren’t you?

MM: Well, I was born and bred in Brighton and throughout my life have worked extensively in the city, mostly in my family business, which is greengrocery. My father had a market stall after he left the army, and everything has built up from that. I’ve raised my family here too – I have one son and two grandsons.

TD: How did you get involved with local politics?

MM: I’m very opinionated when it comes to what I feel strongly about, and friends said I should either put myself up for election or shut up, and so I did the former! The first time I stood for Marine Ward in the old Brighton council, but lost by 200 votes. Next time around I was offered a safer seat, but I wanted more of a challenge as I was sure I could do it, so stood again for the more challenging Marine Ward and won! It gave me a good background because this former ward included Roedean, the Marina, Sussex Square, Lewes Crescent, and Whitehawk – a very diverse ward and I found it really interesting and challenging, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

TD: What would you say is your primary interest in the council?

MM: My real passion in politics is housing – if you get that right, everything follows, from children in the school environment to adult social care – it’s really fundamental for people’s wellbeing. I always took a real interest and worked on this, so when the Conservatives came took control last year I became Chair of Housing and when I became Leader of the Council I took this interest in strategic housing with me.

As I said, if you get housing right, you have taken the first step and my ambition is to ensure we really get to grips with it. The council has nearly 13,000 properties around the city and there was a bad situation between tenants, council officers, and council members, where tenants didn’t talk to the officers. We’ve set up focus groups to mend bridges and get people talking, a crucial piece of work, so tenants then started coming to the council and working with the officers and I’m delighted that last Friday the tenants held an inaugural city-wide assembly. We’re also putting together a way of trying to fund decent housing and although the tenants said no to transferring council housing to a housing association,the council still has to meet central Government guidelines on housing, and there’s a massive gap between the target and the present situation. We are therefore setting up a company to lease properties and we will then borrow money on the rental income, with the money going back into the housing account and we are hoping to go ‘live’ on that in April. We have an excellent Cabinet member on housing in Maria Caulfield, but I always like to keep an eye on what is going on. Our council stock is not meeting decent home standards and it will be a massive achievement if we can get that right.

TD: People often see Brighton and Hove as our own little world, but as you have already mentioned you are quite dependent on central Government for funding, aren’t you?

MM: Generally, yes. There are limitations due to government guidelines, and a wide range of performance indicators we have to meet. Our council’s funding settlement from central Government is one of the lowest in the country and so against these limited resources there are enormous pressures. For instance the Government wants to see a large growth in housing in this area but currently we do not have the resources for what they would like.

TD: And no money in Icelandic banks I trust?

MM: No! We have excellent finance officers who are incredibly diligent. We did have money in an Icelandic bank but they removed it some time ago but some of our colleagues in other councils got very badly burnt.

TD: I have my ear to the ground, and gather you have been doing lots of things involving local businesses. Can you tell us about that?

MM: Yes, local businesses are one of the ways in which Brighton and Hove is quite unique as we have so many small independent traders. I think it makes us what we are and if we lose that, Brighton and Hove could be any high street in the country – just multinationals. With this financial downturn it’s important for the council to do as much as possible to support small businesses.

We’ve introduced a range of measures, including a commitment to paying invoices to small businesses within ten days. We’re also looking at business rates and spreading the payments over 12 months instead of 10. We’re trying to look at businesses on a one by one basis and coming up with solutions such as taking rents one month in advance instead of three. From 5th December we are also stopping town centre roadworks and we’re delighted that Southern Water and gas companies have signed up to this initiative, for twelve days over the Christmas period, to encourage people to come to the city. We’re holding meetings with traders and hoteliers, so we are actually listening to what they are saying and working with them. One of the first things we did when we came into power was to set up a meeting with small traders and we’re also meeting with London Road businesses to discuss the problems of street drinking.

TD: It’s interesting that you mention these various consultations. As a resident I always felt that under the last administration consultation was considered a tedious exercise to be conducted and then ignored, rather than a meaningful dialogue. Are you saying your administration is different?

MM: Absolutely. I don’t believe in a top-down approach. My colleagues and I want an open and transparent administration. There’s really no point listening if we don’t take on board what people tell us.

TD: I gather you now have an online webcasting system?

MM: Yes, it’s all quite new. We webcast full council, cabinet and planning meetings so people can watch live via our website and residents can also look at the archive of previous meetings. It’s one of the many ways in which we are trying to interact with residents because we are elected by them and spending their money so it’s very important that they get a feeling for what the council is doing. It’s all part of our commitment to open and honest engagement with the public.

TD: The King Alfred is a hot topic at the moment. I’ve been reading that a couple of Labour councillors are criticising the council for not taking the “Plan B” approach with regard to the project. Why didn’t you?

MM: As an administration we’ve been restricted on what we can discuss for legal reasons, but that restriction ended on 9th November when the agreement fell through. I can tell you now that what people have read in the papers is wrong. There was no “Plan B” provided by Karis Developments.

TD: So what will happen now?

MM: In the short term we are putting money into the King Alfred, not closing it. There’s remedial work now and it’s ongoing because sadly nothing has been spent on it since 1975. Longer term we’re looking at possibilities on the site and though the original brief was very clear about providing leisure facilities for the city, it grew into an enormous development with housing as well and we want to take it back to the original brief of providing great leisure facilities.

TD: Tall towers themselves are rather contentious to many people – what are your views on them along the seafront?

MM: It would be wrong to say ‘yes’ to all, or ‘no’ to all, so we need to take each case on its own merits and to be very clear when passing planning permission as we’ve got a fantastic coastline and have to remember that. We don’t want developers to think it’s a closed door here but on the other hand we don’t just want developments which ‘will do’ – they have to be really fantastic because after all we have to think not only about now, but the future. If you look at the city, some conservation area buildings were put up a hundred years ago and others were put up recently – ask yourself, which ones will still look good in the future? Brighton and Hove is a very special place – new developments must always reflect that.

TD: What do you have planned for next year?

MM: It’s going to be an interesting year as we’ve got no knowledge of just how long the downturn will last, but we have a very clear direction for this council. We want to see core basic services delivered because although people are struggling and losing jobs they still have to pay council tax. So we have to ensure we deliver high quality, value for money services. We inherited a vast number of major projects around the city, and we’re now looking carefully at each one. The top priority is the Brighton Centre which is crucial to the economy of the city, tourism, and conferences. It’s vital that it is redeveloped as this will have a major knock-on effect on jobs, so we are working hard on this at the moment. We’re also looking at the other projects realistically to see if they’re viable and if we can deliver. This policy is ongoing as we think it is important to look at each one with fresh eyes. We’re also doing lots with the voluntary sector and we have created a new cabinet portfolio specially for Communities and the Voluntary Sector. Councillor Dee Simson is working in this role to ensure we are not duplicating efforts and can get the best results for our city.

Editor’s footnote

I went into this interview with an open mind and I must say that I was impressed with what I heard. Mary is open and friendly and obviously loves this city where she was born. Let’s hope that she will be able to deliver for the residents and businesses in the next few years.