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Newsletter 243 - July 2009

In this issue:

• Petition Progress
• More Signatures Needed
• If at first...
• Look out for otters?
• Trade Waste
• A Tour of the Metropole Hotel
• Summer Days Out
• Taking Flight
• Where are the bike stands?
• The Big Bins - time to have your say
• The view from the pier

Petition Progress

Many thanks to those members who have signed our petition asking the Council for some parking spaces to be removed from Regency Square and replaced with resident spaces in the car park. We have 54 signatures so far.

Thanks also to those who commented on the idea. Here's a summary of some of things they said:

• The simplest solution to the car park queuing problem would be for wardens to take action when drivers who are queuing block the road.
• Would resident spaces in the car park be reserved? Would residents have to queue at busy times to get to them?
• What is the point of removing parking spaces from the east side as well as the west side?
• Remove all paid spaces outside the car park leaving above ground parking for residents only.

The committee did consider various points, including most of these, before finalising the wording of the petition. Inevitably the wording reflects a compromise between differing views and will never please everyone completely.

More Signatures Needed

The signatures we have obtained so far are a good start but it's probably not enough to show the Council that there is strong support for our ideas.

If you support the scheme but haven't sent in your signature yet, please do it as soon as possible.

If you can persuade other people who live or work in the area to sign, please do.

Meanwhile we are planning to distribute more copies to non-members.

If at first...

The war memorial in Regency Square is once again shrouded in scaffolding.

There is still no clear explanation of why paint started peeling off the metal plaques almost as soon as it was dry. However, there is now agreement amongst all concerned that something is not right.

So the contractors who did the original job are going to put it right at their own expense, but not before they have consulted the Council's conservation officer and the War Memorials Trust about exactly what needs to be done.

They say it will be a couple of months before the memorial will be visible again.

Look out for otters?

Operation Otter is the code name for the police security operation to ensure the safety of the Labour Party Conference later in the summer.

The area around the Brighton Centre, and the Grand and Metropole Hotels will once again become a secure island site. Those who live on the island, such as residents of Metropole Court, will need a pass to get in and out. The security measures will be in place from September 27th to October 1st.

Before then the police will be visiting addresses surrounding the island site to check the identity of people living nearby. If you get a visit, don't forget to ask to see an identity card.

Trade Waste

It's a never ending battle to keep the pavements free of trade waste bins.

For months we have been asking the Council to take action over bins that block the pavement in the north-west corner of Clarence Square, opposite the betting shop. At last we have had a response.

One of the offending bins has now been moved into a nearby private gated area. The other is to be replaced by a new, smaller bin, which will be located so that it doesn't block the footpath. So that is some improvement, but it still means that trade waste is stored in a public space.

Meanwhile down at the bottom of Queensbury Mews there is a blue trade waste bin which blocks the pavement, except when the enforcement officer comes to look; at that time it always seems to be on the private forecourt of the fish and chip restaurant. The enforcement officer is monitoring the situation.

A Tour of the Metropole Hotel

The Hilton Metropole is Brighton's biggest hotel. It is also a member of our Society.

On the afternoon of Saturday 11 July we have the opportunity of a guided tour of the building with one of the managers.

There is no charge, but if you would like a place on the tour please contact Paul Michaelson who will give you full details.

Summer Days Out

There are still a few places left on the Kingscliffe Society's coach trip to Amberley Working Museum.

This 36 acre open air museum is dedicated to the industrial heritage of the south-east. Its wide range of exhibits includes the Southdown bus collection, a village garage and a print workshop. There are also resident craftspeople employing traditional methods.

The trip will be on Wednesday 5 August, leaving from the Old Steine at 10:10 am and returning by about 5:30 pm. The cost is £17.50 for the coach, museum entry and driver's tip.

If you'd like to book a place or find out more, contact Sue Paskins.

Later in the month on 23 August, the next of the M and M tours is to Wrest Park and the De Grey Mausoleum. Full details are in the Society events area of the website.

Taking Flight

Regular visitors to our web site will know that the three peregrine chicks are now starting to take flight from their nest box on the top of Sussex Heights.

There was some concern at the end of last month when one of the chicks was stranded on a balcony roof below the level of the nest box. It survived there for four days, with support from its two parents, until it was able to fly back home. It is now safely back with the rest of the family.

Where are the bike stands?

Last year we asked the Council if they could put some bike stands in Regency Square. We got a positive response suggesting they would be in place by March this year.

Since then we have contacted the Council's cycling officer several times but have not had any reply.

What is happening? Local councillor, Sven Rufus has offered to try and find out.

The Big Bins - time to have your say

Back in January, before the communal bins were installed, one of our members asked Cityclean to consider re-locating the bin which was to be placed immediately outside his flat.

The reply was that they didn't have the resources to re-assess locations or move bins at that time. They were asking people to see what the bins were like and then contact them again in July when they would consider any complaints or issues.

So if you've got a problem with a bin, now's the time to say. You can email Cityclean at cityclean@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone on 01273 292292.

The view from the pier

Three members of the Society committee visited the West Pier recently. We met Glynn Jones, chairman of the West Pier Trust together with Geoff Lockwood and Rachel Clark, who manage it.

Our aim was to find out what is happening. The pier has recently been fenced off because of concern about safety. The Trust has been advised that the Rock Shop is unstable. Some of the railings may also be unsafe. The result is that the whole site now looks a mess, though there are plans to improve it a bit by putting up some display boards.

Longer term prospects for the site seem to be uncertain: the i360 project is on hold because it has not been possible to raise all the finance needed. We were assured that Marks Barfield, the architects behind the scheme, are still fully committed. Sections of the tower have already been made in Holland and some drilling work is expected to start on site in September.

We asked how long the Trust is going to wait for the project to get off the ground. The answer seems to be that everything depends on the i360. There is no plan B at present. However, if nothing happens by the end of the year, the Trust Board will review its strategy.

What was clear from the meeting was that the people running the Trust are still confident that the i360 will be built, once the recession starts to ease. On the other hand they can't give us any idea of how much longer the blight now affecting our bit of the seafront will continue.

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