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Newsletter 220 - April 2007

In this issue:

• Welcome to Our New Members
• New Members Are Always Welcome
• Talking to the Police
• Thanks...
• The Council Election is Coming
• The i Gets Nearer
• Dates Wanted
• Sunny Side Up
• Your New Committee
• Out and About
• Now we are Z
• Goodbye to the Bays
• Bye Bye Bench
• Bird Watch
• More Hostels?

Welcome to Our New Members

Each year we circulate a leaflet around the area to encourage new members to join the Society. Several have already been returned - so welcome to those members who have just joined.

And don't forget, the Society is nothing apart from its members; so if you have any views or ideas you want to share please do get in touch.

New Members Are Always Welcome

Do you have any neighbours who might like to join, especially people who have recently moved to the area? If so please encourage them - contact Roger Hinton for copies of the membership leaflet.

Talking to the Police

We were very pleased to welcome three of our local police officers at the AGM last month.

Members had plenty of questions to raise, such as worries about youths congregating in the gardens in Clarence Square. PC Chris Thompson said that the police were already aware of this problem and were taking steps to discourage these activities.

In spite of the new lights which have been put in Russell and Regency Square there is concern that Clarence Square is still rather dark at night. The police liaise regularly with Council officers on safety matters of this kind and will review the position in Clarence Square.

Pavement cycling was another worry. Sergeant Marcus Puddephatt acknowledged that cyclists often use the pavement in busy areas and emphasised that it is illegal to cycle on the pavement. He said that Community Support Officers try to discourage this anti-social behaviour. On the other hand it is unlikely that the police will be able to undertake a major campaign to solve the problem.

In response to a question about the impact on policing of the Council-run hostels in Regency Square, Sergeant Puddephatt said that the number of incidents related to the hostels seems to be declining.

Thanks...

... to everyone who came to the AGM. Also to the Hilton Metropole Hotel for providing the meeting room.

The Council Election is Coming

Guests at the recent AGM included candidates from all three main political parties - Sue Bucknall (Liberal Democrat), Robert Nemeth (Conservative) and Roy Pennington (our current Labour Councillor).

The i Gets Nearer

All the legal hurdles facing the i360 development have now been removed. This follows news last week that the West Pier Trust now has the legal power to grant a long-term lease to the operators of the planned viewing tower.

Development work is planned to start in June and to finish some time towards the end of next year.

After the tower has been open for two years the Council will start to receive a contribution towards the cost of improvement works in the area. This will be a percentage of ticket revenues and will continue in future years.

The first priority for this money will be "ecological interpretation and display boards". However, we have been assured that the Regency Square green will be eligible to benefit from this money and that our Society will be part of the working party which the Council will set up once the money starts to flow.

However, don't get too excited: Debra May, the Council officer managing the scheme, does not believe that the money generated by the i360 would ever be enough for a scheme such as putting back 19th century style railings around the square (as in Brunswick Square).

Dates Wanted

Nicholas Antram is preparing a forthcoming Pevsner City Guide. He is keen to find out more about the sequence in which the houses in Regency Square were built. He would like to hear from anyone who has original deeds for any of the properties in the square, giving the date of construction. Contact him at Nicholas@antram.uk.com

Sunny Side Up

It was good to see over 20 members at the Easter Monday breakfast. The sun shone gloriously and the conversation flowed freely. Many thanks to all at the Regency Restaurant for looking after us so well!

Your New Committee

Following the AGM last month the Society committee now has eleven members:

Chairman: Roger Hinton Regency Square
Secretary: Rhidian Hughes Regency Square
Treasurer: Andrew Walker Chartwell Court

Members:

Ron Bakere Sussex Heights
Ros Boulden Abbotts
Margaret Brisley Sussex Heights
Diana Dunn Clarence Gardens
John Gavin Hove
Brian Smith Regency Square
Traude Tappin Bedford Towers
Lucho Zuidema Regency Square
Co-opted member: Warden Swinfen Abbotts

Out and About

The Kingscliffe Society welcomes members of our Society on its coach trips. Here are details of the next two:

Spring Outings with the Kingscliffe Society

Thursday 19 April - Depart 10:05 am from Old Steine (slip road east side of fountain)

Standen House, East Srinstead £13 (National Trust Members); £19 (Non NT)

Thursday 17 May - Depart 10:35 am Old Steine (slip road east side of fountain)

Clandon and Hatchlands Parks near Guildford) £13.50 (NT Members); £23.50 (Non NT)

For more details or to book call Vivienne Carter 271269

We would like to organise another of our more local outings in Brighton. If you have any suggestions please contact Roger Hinton.

Now we are Z

The new large-scale parking zones have now come into force. When they were first announced there was concern that this area would suffer from "internal commuting" - in other words, people from less central parts of zone Z parking here for work or shopping.

Let us know if you think this is (or isn't) having an effect on the availability of spaces.

Goodbye to the Bays

One result of the new parking scheme is that there are no longer any individual parking bays, simply areas within which parking is allowed. Experience from other cities, especially London, suggests that this may result in cars being park more tightly, making it harder to get between them to cross the road.

Another change is the removal of single yellow lines in Regency Square, presumably in order to squeeze more parked cars into the space.

One oddity is a loading bay in Queensbury Mews next to the exhibition hall loading doors. Quite sensible, you might think, until you realise that those doors were sealed last year and now are not in use.

Let us have any views you have about the new parking arrangements.

Bye Bye Bench

It was 29 July 1981 that the Society held a party on Regency Square to celebrate the wedding of Charles and Diana. A wooden bench was purchased at the same time and engraved with the Society's name and a commemorative message.

Now, more than 25 years later it has disappeared. Does anyone know where it has gone?

Bird Watch

The peregrine falcons which live on the roof of Sussex Heights are now under constant surveillance from a camera located in the box. The Society has provided funding for a wi-fi link to our web site so you can see live pictures of the pair "at home". The pictures are updated via the wireless link every 2 minutes.

At the moment their main concern is to sit on the four eggs which have been laid in the box and are expected to hatch in the last week of April. Once the chicks are out the camera should catch views of them being fed, and maybe even their first attempts to move around and finally take wing.

Unfortunately some damage has been discovered to the roof of Sussex Heights. This allows water to leak into the building when it rains and needs to be repaired, but is located very close to the peregrines' box.

The repairs would seriously disturb the birds at this critical time in the production of their young. We are hoping very much that the repairs can be delayed until the chicks have developed enough to leave home and fend for themselves.

Keep your fingers crossed for fine weather!

More Hostels?

It is not surprising that people are nervous about the possibility of more hotels in Regency Square becoming hostels. The three properties on the west side of the square, now run by the Council, gained planning permission because they had been operating as houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) for several years, without any formal complaint.

This kind of permission by stealth must not be allowed to happen again. For this reason the Society will ask the Council planning officers to investigate any properties which appear to be changing from hotel use to HMOs.

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