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Newsletter 202 - March 2005

In this issue:

• Annual General Meeting
• Report on the Year
• Not all work
• Your Committee
• And finally...
• Annual Accounts
• Treasurer's Report
• Meet the Manager
• Elections
• A date for your diary

Annual General Meeting

The Society's 26th Annual General Meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Thursday 17th March 2005 in the Osbourne Suite at the Hilton Metropole Hotel.

Agenda

1. Minutes of the Previous AGM
2. Committee Report for the Year
3. Treasurer's Report & Annual Accounts
4. Subscription Rates for 2006
5. Election of Officers and Committee

After the formal agenda there will be a chance for members to raise any issues they wish to discuss and to comment on the proposed policy statement about the West Pier. This was summarised in the February newsletter and can be read in full on the web site (www.regencybrighton.com).

Our guest speaker after the AGM will be Derek Maddison, manager of the Churchill Square shopping centre.

Refreshments will be available and there will be a raffle.

Report on the Year

Rubbish: this year we have been concerned with the plan to change our collection arrangements. The Council wants to put bins in the street. This will cut cost since binmen will be replaced by an automated vehicle. Recycling units will also be placed in the streets, with the result that Regency Square, for example, could have as many as 12 separate bins.

The Society has been consulted by the Council. Our view is that these bins will be unsightly and attract fly-tipping. We have met with campaigners from, areas where these bins are being piloted and their experience confirms our worries.

Council officers have been very successful in getting people to put rubbish out at the right times, so we think these changes will be a backward step.

The Post Office: after a number of false alarms over the years, the local Post Office in Hampton Place finally closed it's doors last Spring. Since then we have been investigating various possibilities for locating a post office counter in a local store such as Waitrose. No luck yet, but maybe one of the stores in Churchill Square might be interested: we can sound out Derek Maddison, the manager of Churchill Square, who will be our guest speaker at the AGM.

Grand Plans for Cannon Place: the Council published planning guidelines for the area around Cannon Place last year. We commented on them.

We welcomed much of the guidance, such as improved pedestrian access to Churchill Square and the development of small businesses at street level in the car parks.

We objected to a plan for a building at the eastern end of Russell Square. The aim was to close off the square with something sympathetic to the existing buildings. A nice idea, but the resulting building would take a significant part of the garden and inVolve the loss of trees. It would also make the square too enclosed.

Car parks and queues: we have been liaising with the council on various issues related to traffic. Perhaps the most significant one is the problem in Regency Square where the car park queue often blocks the entire western side of the square making it impossible to exit via Preston Street. Hopefully improved road markings will reduce this problem.

We have also persuaded NCP to tone down the colour scheme they have applied to the car park. The railings have already been re-painted black and we are hoping the white walls will go cream shortly.

Benches and bulbs: we had a minor excitement in the summer when what looked like a long lost bench belonging to the Society re-appeared in Regency Square. Before its identity could be confirmed it disappeared again. This reminded us of the sorry state of our remaining bench so we are planning to clean up. Come along and lend a hand if you can - 11 am Sunday 24 April.

In the spring the bulbs we planted the previous year put on a splendid show, so last autumn we planted more in Regency and Russell Squares.

The West Pier: it has been a momentous year for the West Pier. Plans to restore it, and ruin the neighboring seafront with large modem buildings fell through when heritage funding was withdrawn.

The Society is now coming to the view that it is time to abandon any hope of restoring the pier and to start planning for its removal. We have prepared a draft pdlicy statement and are consulting members before finalising it.

Other issues: as always, we have dealt with a wide range of other issues raised by members. These have included delivery of the City News in our area, satellite dishes erected without permission on listed buildings, removal of graffiti, attempts to get extra litter bins and replacements for missing road name signs.

Not all work

The Society does not spend all its time on problems and complaints. We also try to get people together for social activities. This year we have organized a magic lantern show, a visit to the local mosque, a quiz in the Havana bar and our regular New Year breakfast at the Regency Restaurant.

We are already making plans for events in the coming year. Any suggestions welcome.

Your Committee

We have lost three member of our committee during the year. Tony Lowery and John Clinton are both no longer living permanently in the area and Norma Williams has had to stand down because of other commitments. Many thanks to them all for their work while they were members of the committee.

And finally...

... many thanks to everyone who has helped the Society during the year.

Annual Accounts

2004/05 Income and Expenditure summary
Income	£	Expenditure	£
Subscriptions	461	Printing etc.	263
General Donations	313	Insurance	250
Website sponsorship	280	Website expenses	226
Functions	44	Functions	26
Interest	27	Subscriptions	20
		Bulbs	35
		Surplus for the year	305
	1,125		1,125
Balance Sheet
Funds at 29/2/04	1,661	Cash & bank	2,311
Add surplus	305
Funds at 28/2/05	1,966
Advance subs	161
Advance donations	184
	2,311		2,311

Treasurer's Report

The year saw a welcome surplus of £305 in place of a deficit of £28 last year. This was because of some generous contributions, and sponsorship of the web site. We hope that this will continue to be the case in the coming year.

The Regency Square Improvement Fund has not been used during the year and now stands at £4,531.

Meet the Manager

Meet the Manager of Churchill Square - Derek Maddison be the Society's guest speaKer after the AGM

7:30 pm Thursday 17 March 2005 Osbourne Suite, Hilton Metropote Hotel

There will be refreshments and a raffle

Elections

The following people are standing for re-election:

Chairman: Roger Hinton Regency Square
Secretary : John Gavin Queensbury Mews
Treasurer : Andrew Walker Chartwell Court
Members: Ron Bakere Sussex Heights
Ros Boulden: Abbotts
Clive Buxton: Dean Street
Diana Dunn: Clarence Gardens
Traude Tappin

We need more people on the committee. If you want to know what is involved, or nominate someone please contact the Chairman (01273 321794).

A date for your diary

Help clean up the Society's bench on Regency Square: 11 am Sunday 24 April.

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