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Newsletter 228 - January 2008

In this issue:

• Communal Bins
• Why don't we like communal bins?
• Welcoming the New Year
• Not only a hotel but also a part of Brighton's history
• More Places to Sit?
• A Date for Your Diary
• Bollards Again
• Public Health Report
• Crime Falls
• Kingscliffe Talks
• Save the Royal Alexandra!
• Orp meets Kia

Communal Bins

The Council will distribute a questionnaire on 25th January to get people's views on communal bins. Local societies and councillors have fought hard to get this consultation. Originally Council leaders wanted to introduce the bins without asking for residents' opinions. So please do reply!

There will be a four-week response period. If you haven't had a copy of the questionnaire by early February let us know (hinton@clara.net).

We are planning to send a Society leaflet to as many homes in the area as possible, encouraging people to reply to the Council, and setting out why the Society objects to the bins.

Why don't we like communal bins?

• They are ugly and not appropriate in a conservation area;
• people dump large items next to them;
• we will have to carry our own rubbish to the nearest bin;
• they are awkward for the elderly and disabled;
• they discourage re-cycling;
• they take up parking spaces.

Welcoming the New Year

Fifteen members sat down together on New Year's morning for breakfast at the Regency Restaurant. As always it was a very pleasant occasion, with coffee and conversation flowing. Many thanks to all the staff at the Regency for looking after us.

Not only a hotel but also a part of Brighton's history

Twelve members and friends met local historian, Jackie Marsh-Hobbs earlier this month for a tour of the Old Ship Hotel.

She took us into the grand assembly rooms and the spooky cellars. She explained how what started in Ship Street as a moderately sized coaching inn developed into one of Brighton's largest seafront hotels.

Perhaps the most fascinating story is that one of its original owners, Nicholas Tattersall also owned a ship called The Surprise in which King Charles II escaped from the Roundheads in 1651. The fee which the King paid to Tattersall helped him expand the hotel, as he was able to buy neighbouring property.

In Brighton museum there is a piece of wood, believed to have come from The Surprise. Attempts are being made to date the timber and hence confirm if it could have been part of the ship. There are plans to display it, along with other reminders of the hotel's history, in the hotel reception area.

Many thanks to Jackie for the tour and for sharing with us some of her vast knowledge of Brighton's history. If you weren't able to come, you could join one of her public Old Ship tours at 6pm on 1st or 15th February or 7th March. No need to book, just meet at 6pm inside the main hotel door. The cost is £5.

More Places to Sit?

Your committee has been discussing the possibility of buying two new benches to be placed on the top green in Regency Square. They would match the ones which are already there.

The plan is to locate the benches next to the footpath, one on the east and one on the west side of the green. We hope they can be fixed to the ground for security.

There would be small plaques on the benches to indicate that the Society had put them there, and possibly to commemorate former members.

The benches are not cheap; they cost a little over £500 each. We are thinking that we could use some of the Regency Square Improvement Fund to pay for them. We currently have about £4,700 in the fund.

We will ask for members' views on this idea at the AGM in April. In the meantime if you have any thoughts about the proposal, please let us know.

A Date for Your Diary

The Society's next annual general meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 2nd April in the Hilton Metropole Hotel. More details next month.

Bollards Again

A number of members have complained about the positioning of the bollards in the twitten outside the Regency Tavern. They have been put back in place after excavations for the new water pipes, but they are now much further apart than they were. This means that cyclists can rush through at even greater speed than before. Motorbikes have also been seen using the passage as a short cut.

So if you are coming out of the Tavern after a couple of drinks, watch out! You could end up under someone's wheel.

We have asked the Council to move the bollards closer together. Maybe they should not be quite as close as they were, because the gap may have been too narrow for some types of wheelchair. They need to meet modern standards for accessibility, but they also need to do their job, which is to prevent or discourage illegal traffic.

Public Health Report

We have received a 100-page publication called "A Focus on Performance"; it is the 2007 annual report of Brighton's Director of Public Health. It has chapters on such things as lifestyle, mental health and urgent care. If you would like to see it, please contact Roger Hinton.

Crime Falls

Crime figures from the police for the last 90 days show a fall in this area. Burglaries are down by 17%, violent crimes by 8% and vehicle crime by 4%.

The police have been noticing increased burglaries in the Clifton and Montpelier areas, which could spread our way. So keep doors and windows secure and think about leaving a light on while you're out.

Kingscliffe Talks

The Kingscliffe Society has two interesting, illustrated talks coming up:

20 Jan: "Brighton Fishing and Fishing People of Brighton" by Alan Hayes.

17 Feb: "The British Seaside Holiday" by Jackie Marsh-Hobbs.

Both cost £2 (including tea and biscuits) and will be held from 3-5pm at Hampshire Court, which can be accessed from Lavender Street or Bedford Street.

Save the Royal Alexandra!

The Society has objected to plans to demolish the former hospital in Dyke Road. Although it is outside our area, we feel it is an important local building which should be retained.
If you want to comment personally, email Sue.Dubberley@brighton-hove.gov.uk quoting application numbers BH2007/04453 & BH2007/04462. Comments should be submitted before the end of January.

Orp meets Kia

It was a quiet evening in the Regency Tavern. Knowitall (Kia) was enjoying his pint, but was hoping for someone to talk at. Orp (an ordinary reasonable person) came in and sat on the next stool.

Kia: Evening

Orp: Evening. It's a bit windy again out there.

Kia: Yes. The rubbish is being blown all over the place as usual. You'd think people would know not to put it out on Monday mornings after the Christmas and New Year break.

Orp: I wondered about that when I put mine out. When are we supposed to do it?

Kia: Wednesday after New Year, Tuesday the following week and then back to normal. Recycling should be Thursday after New Year, Wednesday the following week and then back to normal.

Orp: Oh! How were we supposed to know that?

Kia: It's in the Council's "City News", on the back page, so you shouldn't have missed it.

Orp: I thought they'd stopped doing "City News".

Kia: They did but now it's started again.

Orp: I didn't know that. How d'you get a copy?

Kia: It comes round with the Leader.

Orp: But we don't get the Leader in this area.

Kia: I always pick one up from the newsagents as soon as it's out. Anyway, the information about collection times is also on the Council website.

Orp: I don't know the web address.

Kia: Well, it doesn't take much guessing: www.brighton-hove.gov.uk - or just Google it?

Orp: What?

Kia: Put "Brighton and Hove Council" into your search engine.

Orp: I haven't got a search engine. Where d'you get them?

Kia: It's on your computer, stupid.

Orp: My computer hasn't worked since I spilled beer on it while I was watching the last World Cup final.

Kia; That's the trouble with you Orps, you expect everything to be put in front of you on a plate.

Orp; Well I've got better things to do than chase round the worldwide web trying to work out when the bin lorry's coming. D'you want another drink?

Kia: No thanks. I've got to go and find out when the next Regency Square Area Society newsletter is coming out so I can block out some time in my diary to read it.

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