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Newsletter 234 - July 2008

In this issue:

• The Big Clean Up
• Graffiti Watch - adopt a wall!
• Boat Trip Places Still Available
• Bollard on the Move
• Kingscliffe Society Outings
• Freedom of Information, if there is any
• Fame at Last
• Meanwhile back at the West Pier

The Big Clean Up

As promised, the Council has started to clean graffiti from walls around our area.

Meanwhile the Society has distributed leaflets to all households in the area (except the large blocks of flats) asking for volunteers to take responsibility for painting out graffiti on specific walls.

A copy of the leaflet is reproduced here to remind you of the details. Please think about volunteering if you live near a property that has had graffiti on it in the past, or looks like a tempting target.

We spend a lot of time moaning about what the Council does or doesn't do. Here is our chance to work together with Council officers to make a real difference.

Graffiti Watch - adopt a wall!

This is a simple scheme, designed to get rid of graffiti. It is run jointly by the Council and the Regency Square Area Society.

It relies on local people taking action. Can you help? Here's how it works:

You identify any painted walls or junction boxes close to where you live that are at risk of graffiti.

You then contact Sarah Leach at the Council (see below). She will get the owner's permission to paint the wall, and will give you some paint of the right colour and a roller.

When graffiti appears, you paint it out as soon as possible. It is less likely to reappear if it disappears quickly.

Some tips:

• Send a photo of the graffiti to Sarah if you can; it may help to convict persistent offenders.
• Don't paint when it is raining, or the wall is wet.
• Don't paint the whole wall, just the affected area.
• You may need a second coat if the graffiti still shows through.
• Wear something old to protect your clothes while painting.
• If you see graffiti on an unpainted wall (e.g. brick or concrete) or a litter bin, tell Sarah.

If you have any queries contact: Roger Hinton or Sarah Leach (01273 292929 Email cityclean@brighton-hove.gov.uk).

Let's work together to improve our local area!

Boat Trip Places Still Available

Don't forget the Society boat trip!

It will be at 7pm on Thursday 31 July from Brighton Marina. The cost is £7.50 for a 45-minute ride around the two piers.

To reserve a place, please send your money (cash or cheque payable to the Regency Square Area Society) to Paul Michaelson as soon as possible. More details are available at www.watertours.co.uk.

Bollard on the Move

Our picture shows the position of the two bollards outside the Regency Tavern, before the pavement was dug up for pipe laying.

The contractors put the left hand bollard back much closer to the wall. It was also damaged during the works. It has now been removed for repair.

Since both bollards are listed, we are hoping that the missing one will be placed in its original position when it is re-instated.

Kingscliffe Society Outings

The Kingscliffe Society are organising an outing to Cobham Hall on 19 August. The cost is £25.

A second outing will be to Chartwell on 24 September. This costs £27.50, but only £18.00 if you are a National Trust member.

Our members are welcome to join these outings. Full details from Sue Paskins.

Freedom of Information, if there is any

We made a request to the Council, using the Freedom of Information Act, for information about usage of the car park in Regency Square. Our own survey suggests that it is under-used most of the time.

The reply says that the car park is not controlled by the Council, and suggests that we contact NCP.

So the Council owns the car park and is responsible for traffic management in central
Brighton, but does not know how much the car park is used. Perhaps they should ask NCP.

Fame at Last

Reef Television is an independent production company. They were filming in and around Regency Square earlier in the month.

The programme, which will be presented by architect, Ptolemy Dean, includes a discussion of the i360 development, planned for the West Pier site. A number of Society members were invited to give their views of the development.

We don't yet know when it will be broadcast, so check your TV listings.

Meanwhile back at the West Pier

The West Pier Trust held their annual general meeting on July 10th. It was not well attended and was therefore not quorate.
This meant that formal business, such as electing directors, had to be postponed until November.

However, there was an informal question and answer session. Of course, the big question was when will work start on the i360?

The chairman's answer was very confident and optimistic, but he was not able to give a date. He explained that the final tranche of money was being put in place and work would start as soon as possible.

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