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Newsletter 160 - December 2000

In this issue:

• Meet the Committee
• And Breakfast...
• What do you think of Iceland?
• Patching up in Clarence Square
• And what about Regency Square?
• Normal Service Resumed
• Normal Service Still Disrupted
• Bring back the Bins?
• The Mysterious Ns and Hs
• DS - where are you now?

Meet the Committee

The Society committee are getting together for a pre-Christmas drink. We would be very pleased if other members of the Society could join us for a glass of wine.

Place: the Regency Tavern
Date: Monday 11 December
Time: from 8pm

And Breakfast...

We started this millennium year with a communal breakfast. We thought it would be nice to end it in the same way.

So we are planning a Society breakfast at 10 am on Sunday 31 December. The venue will be the Regency Restaurant at the south west corner of Regency Square.

The cost will depend on what you order, but as an example, a cooked breakfast with toast and coffee would be less than £5.

If you would like to come, please return the form on the back of the newsletter. This is so we know how many places to book at the restaurant.

What do you think of Iceland?

The shop that is, not the country! We campaigned hard for a food store in Churchill Square and now we have one. It's in the basement of British Home Stores.

It is not as big as its nearby competitors, M&S and the newly enlarged Waitrose. But it does have some good "two for the price of one" bargains at the moment. So if you haven't visited recently, pop in and let us know what you think.

Patching up in Clarence Square

The Council is now organising the contract for improvements to the gardens in Clarence and Russell Squares. The work is scheduled to start after Christmas.

But have you looked at the road surface in Clarence Square? It is in terrible condition with lots of patches of tarmac covering up damaged areas.

We have approached the Council to see if there is any chance of getting the roadway re-surfaced at the same time as the garden improvements.

And what about Regency Square?

There are plans to make some improvements to the top part of Regency Square, at the same time as repairs to the car park roof. The Council will be asking for local people's views on these improvements. We hope to have details with the next newsletter.

The work on Regency Square is expected to start around April 2001.

Normal Service Resumed

The police video camera has been re-instated on Mitre House at the top of Preston Street. Many thanks to Andy Rolmanis, our local community PC, for his help in achieving this.

Normal Service Still Disrupted

The lamp posts in Russell and Clarence Square have notices saying that rubbish is collected on Thursdays. Most people living in the squares put their rubbish out on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

It is not collected on Thursday. Often it is not collected on Friday and so it lies around throughout the weekend.

When will this chaos be sorted out? We have written to local MP, David Lepper to ask if he can get a clear answer from the Council about when normal service is going to be resumed.

Bring back the Bins?

Society member Ken Kennar has lived in Russell Square for many years and can remember a time when there was no rubbish in the street.

He suggests that we go back to the idea of dustbins rather than plastic bags. "When it is considered that all the ash from coal fires had to be got rid of as well, then it can be seen to have been a much greater job in those days."

Ken also suggests that landlords should be required to provide rubbish storage areas and that tenancy agreements should include a clause requiring tenants to use them.

The Mysterious Ns and Hs

Next time you walk across the top of Regency Square, look at the kerb stones on the north side. Some of them have an N or an H engraved in them.

The same letters can be seen in old kerb stones in Preston Street, on the east side.

Does anyone have any suggestions about what these mysterious letters might mean?

DS - where are you now?

People complain about Preston Street for all sorts of reasons. And they always have it seems! Here is a letter to the Brighton and Hove Herald in May 1962. It was written by a Regency Square resident who was identified by the initials DS.

"It is with great distaste that one reads of the nightly goings on in Preston Street.When one thinks of this very charming street which has known the days of real gentility, it is enough to make us blush for our fellow beings who have found fit to pollute this street.

Here we have a nightly invasion of teenagers seeking the coffee bars. While they are very noisy with their laughter and loud talk the majority are very well behaved.

But with the lateness of the hour and the bright lights we have other elements who come looking for trouble night after night defiling the entrances to the shop doors. Where do these animals come from with their filthy mouths and habits?

They certainly do not live in Preston Street. When one sees the number of policemen patrolling the street in order to keep these people under control one is forced to the conclusion that it would be justifiable if the local council brought about a by-law that all shops in Preston Street should close not later than 11-30 pm.

If something is not done soon, as the summer months draw on Preston-street is going to be invaded by all the dubious characters coming from London and afar, looking for trouble. This is not fair to either the residents living in Preston-street or in Regency-square. Neither is it fair to our police who have quite enough to do without all this extra nonsense."

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