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Newsletter 177 - September 2002

In this issue:

• Council Acts to Solve the Rubbish Problem
• Problem Found!
• Problem Solved!
• Joined up Government
• Seagulls do their bit
• Teething Troubles
• The Society's View
• The West Pier: the lawyers step in
• ETA Underway
• Russell Square: the police step in
• A Quieter Metropole
• Quiz Question
• Make a Difference

Council Acts to Solve the Rubbish Problem

Earlier this year the Society committee had a meeting with Council chief executive, David Panter. One of the things we talked about was the rubbish bags that continually litter our streets.

He assured us that this was a high priority issue for him personally and that a major review would be undertaken to find a solution.

Problem Found!

As a result, Council officers have now succeeded in identifving the cause of the problem: rubbish collections were on the wrong day - Thursday!

Once the cause had been found, the solution was obvious. Collections have been moved to Mondays.. er Tuesdays ... sorry Mondays.

Problem Solved!

As a result the problem has been solved! Look out of your window early on a Monday morning after the bin lorry has been...not a rubbish bag in sight!

Congratulations to the Council for finding such an effective solution to a problem which has been blighting the area for years.

Joined up Government

Not only has the collection day been changed, but the notices on the lamp posts have also been altered so that everyone knows about the new arrangements.

Well, they haven't actually been changed: they still say that Thursday is the collection day. But they are going to be changed (aren't they?). And anyway it's obvious to anyone with any sense that Thursday would be a quite inappropriate day on which to collect rubbish.

Seagulls do their bit

As part of the new scheme, Council officers have also held talks with representatives of the seagull community. A landmark agreement has been reached under which the birds will in future take their meal breaks in the suburbs.

This arrangement has benefits for both sides. Firstly, some less responsible gulls have been failing to dispose properly of food cartons, making the town centre look a mess. This problem will now be moved to the suburbs where the wider and less crowded streets offer much more space for litter.

Secondly, people who live in the suburbs tend on average to have higher disposable incomes and so they can offer the birds a richer and more varied diet.

Teething Troubles

As with all major changes, there have been some teething troubles. Rubbish bags are still to be seen in the streets on other days especially Thursdays.

The Council recognise that there is still work to be done to get the new system working 100% effectively. In a letter to the Society shortly before the new system was introduced David Panter said "Many fundamental changes are occurring within the waste service, and I ask for your patience while the restructure takes place."

The Society's View

The Regency Square Area Society has been campaigning for years for improvements to the refuse collection service. Commenting on the new arrangements an excited spokesman for the Society said, "We are amazed by these new rubbish collection arrangements! I am at a loss for words!"

He then wrapped himself in a black plastic bag and put himself out on the pavement - it was Wednesday!

Warning: some parts of this publication may contain irony...

The West Pier: the lawyers step in

St Modwen is the development company which wants to re-develop the West Pier and neighbouring parts of the sea front. Naturally enough, they will not be prepared to spend large sums of money unless they can be guaranteed the right to operate the development for a significant time into the future and hence earn a return on their investment.

The pier is owned by the West Pier Trust which wants to grant a long lease to St Modwen for this purpose. But at the moment they do not have the legal power to do so. The reason for this is that the property is off-shore and is therefore subject to special legal restrictions

As a result they are having to apply to the Secretary of State for a "Harbour Revision Order" which would give them this power.

The Brighton Marine Palace and Pier Company which operates the other pier has made a detailed objection to this application. They argue that the Secretary of State should not make any decision about the Harbour Revision Order until the planning application for the new development has been decided.

They have also supported the argument put forward by the Save our Seafront campaign that the planning application should be "called in" for decision by the Secretary of State rather than by the local authority.

Who knows where this will all end? At least each new objection puts one more hurdle between the developers and their plans to ruin our sea front.

ETA Underway

The Council has already been over-ruled on one important issue regarding the West Pier Development. This was about the need for an environmental impact assessment (ETA).

This is a detailed study of the likely effects of a major development. The Council had said that no ETA was needed in the case of St Modwen's proposals. However, the Secretary of State disagreed. So an ETA is now being carried out.

Society members have been helping by providing space on balconies and rooftops for the location of sound monitoring equipment. This will be used to assess the current level of background noise as a basis for predicting what it will be like during and after construction of the proposed new buildings.

Russell Square: the police step in

We reported in July about a dangerous gap in the pavement outside number 21 Russell Square. We informed the Council about it and they said they would do something. Nothing happened.

Then one day recently a police officer noticed the gap and decided it was a public hazard. He reported it by radio and within hours a board had been placed over the gap to make it safe.

Now it just looks a mess!

A Quieter Metropole

As a result of complaints from residents in St Margaret's Place the Council has issued an order requiring the Metropole Hotel to reduce the noise caused by its exhibition halls. The hotel is also undertaking work to reduce the noise caused by ventilating equipment in Queensbury Mews.

Quiz Question

We are planning to hold a social evening and quiz later in the year. We are looking for a suitable venue. We need a conveniently located room which will hold about 30 people, where we can serve drinks and refreshments,

Suggestions please to Roger Hinton (01273 321794)!

Make a Difference

To vote in the full Council elections to be held in 2003 your name must be on the next electoral register. If you want to know more or are worried that your name is not on the register, contact the information line on 01273 291999 or email colin.burt@brighton-hove.gov.uk

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