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Newsletter 227 - December 2007

In this issue:

• Still Green
• The Old Ship by the Sea
• Neighbourhood Watch
• New Year Breakfast
• Bollards lost and found
• D.S. Sounds Off
• Getting Around
• Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Rossini...
• Consultation yes ... but on what?
• Big bins reduce re-cycling
• Don't forget the New Year Breakfast

Still Green

Last week's election of Jason Kitkat means that we still have two councillors from the Green Party in Regency ward.

749 people voted Green, as against 397 for Tory, Robert Nemeth and 376 for Labour's Delia Forester. The Liberal Democrats polled 149 votes and the independent candidate 130. The turnout was about 23%. This result means that the Tories are still just short of having an overall majority on the Council.

The Old Ship by the Sea

The Old Ship is the oldest hotel in Brighton. Parts of it are said to date back to the 16th century. It probably got its name from the fact that it was built using timbers from ships.

It has played an important part in Brighton's history, hosting town meetings, the petty sessions and meetings of the town commissioners. It housed the town's post office in the 18th century and was the original site of the corn exchange.

We have organised a guided tour of the hotel, to be led by local historian Jackie Marsh-Hobbes. It will be at 6pm on Friday 11 January 2008 and will last about an hour. The cost is £5 per person.

Places on the tour are limited so booking is essential. If you would like to come please send your name and contact details to Roger Hinton, 39 Regency Square, Brighton BN1 2FJ, together with £5 (cash or cheque payable to the Regency Square Area Society).

Neighbourhood Watch

Do you think there should be Neighbourhood Watch schemes in our area? The main aim of such as scheme is to reduce crime by creating a partnership between the local community, the police and the Council.

There are 170,000 such schemes throughout the UK, covering six million households. Our local police community support officer has suggested that we should consider starting one or more schemes in this area. The main objectives of such a scheme would be:

• To reduce burglaries and car crime.
• Tackling anti-social behaviour.
• Focusing on vandalism and graffiti.

Schemes usually cover small areas so we might need several for the whole area covered by our Society. A successful scheme depends on someone being willing to co-ordinate it. The Society committee will be meeting with the police next month to find out more. In the meantime, if you think you might be interested in getting involved, please let us know.

New Year Breakfast

Can you face a breakfast on the morning after the night before? Can you face your neighbours anytime? If the answer to either of these questions might be "maybe" then make your way to the Regency Restaurant at 10 am on Tuesday 1st January and take a seat at the big table! If your answer is "No", then come anyway, order a coffee and just ignore everyone.

This is your chance to catch up on all the local news that doesn't get printed in the newsletter. Full details below.

Bollards lost and found

These two bollards outside the Regency Tavern are listed which means that they cannot be removed without special consent.

So there was a flurry of activity recently when one of them disappeared. The Society alerted the Council's conservation team, who contacted the contractors working in the twitten.

To everyone's relief it had simply been removed to the contractor's depot for safe keeping, and in due course it was reinstated.

But is it in the same place? It looks as if the two bollards are now further apart. This is not as trivial as it sounds. The reason for them being there is to stop vehicles using the twitten. There is a growing problem of cyclists riding through it.

Now the gap is wider this will be even more tempting.

We have suggested to the Council that they relocate the bollard in its original position. Watch this space!

D.S. Sounds Off

In 1962 the Brighton Herald published a letter from a resident of Regency Square who signed himself "D.S.". Here's what he had to say - and if anyone knows who he was, let us know!

"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 that 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 this extra nonsense."

Getting Around

We have been sent several copies of the new Passenger Transport Map published by East Sussex County Council. It shows the routes of all bus and rail networks in the county.

If you would like a copy please contact Roger Hinton (01273 321794).

Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, Rossini...

.. just some of the composers to be featured in the next two concerts by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dome. The dates are 12 January and 29 March.

You can have the best seats in the house for the special price of £12 each. Contact Roger Hinton for a "Regency offer" booking form and full details of the programmes.

Consultation yes ... but on what?

Candidates from all four of the political parties attended a "Hustings" at St Paul's church in West Street just before the recent by-election. One topic which aroused much interest was communal bins.

The candidates were all keen to say that they supported the idea that residents should be consulted before any final decisions are made. But just what is it that we are to be consulted about?

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, the Tory chair of the Environment Committee, has assured us in a letter that "all political parties have agreed a comprehensive consultation process." The survey form which will be circulated to all households towards the end of January will have two questions; one will be about the general principle of introducing communal bins and the other will deal with their location.

Councillor Paul Elgood, the Liberal Democrat representative on the working party that is planning the consultation, has told some of his constituents that he doesn't have "a huge amount of confidence in the process". He has made a point of not endorsing the survey as he was not given a guarantee that streets voting "no" would be taken out of the scheme. That doesn't sound exactly like all parties agreeing.

Once the forms have been circulated, together with a map showing proposed locations, there will be four weeks in which to reply.

The actual installation of the bins is not expected to be finished until the end of November next year.

Big bins reduce re-cycling

One argument against communal bins is that they are likely to reduce the amount of rubbish that people separate out for re-cycling.

In the areas where the bins are already in use there are stories of old TVs and other electrical equipment being dumped in them rather than being disposed of properly.

Don't forget the New Year Breakfast

10 am, Tuesday January 1st 2008
Regency Restaurant
131 Kings Road (corner of Regency Square)
Everyone welcome!

Take a seat at the big table.

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