Views of the Amex Stadium

From Ditchling Beacon 

From The Drove, Falmer

From Hollingbury Hill

From Holllingbury Hill

A Parks Foundation?

Queen's Park

Plans are being drawn up for a Parks Foundation to be set up to attract funding for the city’s parks and open spaces. The Foundation would lead fundraising initiatives aimed at attracting investment in the council’s parks and open spaces and could be set up by the end of the year.

Members of the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee will decide whether to give the go ahead   at a meeting on June 27th. Research has shown that a Foundation could be established quickly and easily with minimal financial commitment from the council. If agreed, the Foundation would be chaired by the Chair of the council’s Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee – currently Councillor Gill Mitchell. Three independent trustees would be also appointed to the Foundation Board which would be supported by officers from Brighton & Hove City Council.

The proposals are part of the council’s Open Spaces Strategy which was approved by committee members in January. The Strategy was drawn up following the council’s Big Conversation, when over 3,000 park users took the opportunity to have their say on how to protect and maintain the city’s parks and open spaces into the future.

Committee members are also being asked to consider a way forward to identify new management arrangements for the tennis courts in the city council’s parks. This follows a consultation with representatives of the local tennis community and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) who agreed that there should be a city-wide approach to the provision of tennis in the city. Members are being asked to give the go ahead for the LTA to work with tennis players to develop two volunteer led proposals and also to explore other options including working with local/community groups and professional organisations, or splitting the sites and opening up a new tender process.

A further report on tennis proposals would be brought to a future Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee for a decision on the management arrangements.

Committee members will also be updated on other Open Spaces Strategy proposals including: allotments, cemeteries and churchyards, heritage, open space hire, outdoor sport & physical activity facilities, parks & gardens, sponsorship, advertising and donations and volunteering.

Preston Park

Seagulls Celebrations

Freedom of the City for the Seagulls

Photo: www.snapitnow.com

Freedom of the City will be conferred on Brighton & Hove Albion’s manager and chairman this week in honour of the Seagulls’ success in promotion to the Premier League.

Manager Chris Hughton and chairman Tony Bloom will receive the honour at a special council meeting at Brighton Town Hall on Thursday 18 May at 3pm.

The city is still in celebratory spirits following the confirmation of the promotion last month and an amazing turn out on the streets for the Albion’s parade on Sunday.

At the meeting on Thursday afternoon, lead councillors will speak in support of the motion to award honorary Freedom of the City before all councillors vote to officially confer the title.

Chris Hughton took over as Albion manager in the middle of the 2014/15 season, helping retain the club’s place in the Championship. Last year the Albion missed out on automatic promotion only by goal difference, finishing third. Hull won the ensuing play-offs for the third promotion spot. This year the team gained automatic promotion finishing just one point behind Newcastle, a team that came down from the Premier League last year.

Brightonian Tony Bloom became club chairman in 2009, succeeding Dick Knight. He has personally invested millions into the club, including its home the Amex Community Stadium and training ground in Lancing.

Council meetings are open to the public but space in the chamber is limited and the councillors and club guests have to be given priority with regards to seating. To avoid disappoint, residents are encouraged to enjoy the ceremony by watching the live webcast rather than coming to the town hall

Bye, bye bowling . . .

The last bowling green in use summer 2016.

For many decades the summer scene in Preston park has been graced with the sight of white-clad bowls players on emerald, beautifully manicured greens. But now no more. Two greens went out of use several years ago and were turned into wildflower "meadows". Another went last year, the last has gone this and is already showing signs of neglect.

Now gradually returning to nature.

The Men's Bowling Pavilion

Consequently the Men's Pavilion, is now redundant in its original purpose. It is a nice little building that was once used as the back drop of one of the scenes in the film 'The First Gentleman' the story of a romance between the daughter of the Prince Regent and Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg. This was also filmed partly in the Royal Pavilion—the first film to be shot there.

The council will soon be putting the pavilion up for lease and a meeting is to be held to discuss the viability of the community acquiring that lease for the benefit of all. This is the only remaining building in the park that could be reserved for such use.

The meeting is on 3rd May at 7.30pm in the Men’s Bowls Pavilion.

Save our tennis courts.

Petition to Brighton & Hove City Council:-

Save our public tennis courts - time is running out?

Brighton ice-skating

Over the last few decades, particularly since the Queen Square pocket rink closed, Brighton ice-skating enthusiasts have campaigned tirelessly for a new state-of-the-art rink.

The latest Council response can be found in the report "Ice Rink - Potential Provision in Brighton and Hove" to be presented to the Economic and Development & Culture Committee on 16th June. Agenda Item 8.

Unfortunately the campaigners are unlikely to be much encouraged by this report. The lack of funds and lack of a suitable site are cited and the ball is kicked further down the road by the promise of a "soft-marketing testing exercise".

(The exercise is unlikely to result immediately in an order for goods and services: more likely is that the outcome of the exercise will enable the purchasing business to refine its requirements and approach to market in order to then invite businesses to quote. Wiki)

The Panari Sky Centre, Nairobi

Nairobi has managed to acquire a skating facility, under much more unfavourable conditions than Brighton, by  the incorporation of a solar-powered rink into the basement of a large entertainments/shopping complex. A development not unlike  the massive southward extension of Churchill Square now being planned by Standard Life Investments. A location which would lend itself beautifully to the use of solar-panels.

Money would remain a problem unless we could ask Kenya to return a few millions of the £595M we sent them this year.

King Alfred decision.

The view looking south-west will be dominated by an 18 storey tower.

Following  a year-long competitive dialogue between two bidders and specialist council officers, overseen by councillors from all parties, Crest Nicholson, in partnership with the Starr Trust, have been selected as the preferred bidders to redevelop Hove’s King Alfred Leisure Centre site.

The decision was made at the Policy and Resources committee meeting on 21 January 2016. Bouygues were the other contenders.

Subject to future design development, public consultation and planning permission, the scheme would include a modern new sports centre costing around £40m. This would be paid for by a development of 560 flats, and around £8m of council money. The flats would be in four main blocks, the highest of which would be 18 storeys, and 20% of them would be affordable

The sports centre would include  a 25m eight-lane competition pool, a smaller teaching pool, and a leisure pool. Movable floors for changing depths in the competition and teaching pools are features included.

The sports hall would have space for eight badminton courts compared to five in the current centre. There will be a 120-station gym, plus 15 spinning bikes.

Also included would be a crèche, gymnastics centre, three-rink indoor bowls, dedicated martial arts dojo, quiet studio, sauna and a café.

View from east of the site before the water-slide was removed.

UK's best skate-park?

The Level restoration

The younger generation seem to give the new Level a big 'thumbs-up'.

Football parking at the Racecourse

Plans have been agreed for land at Brighton Racecourse to offer park and ride facilities on a permanent basis to up to 700 cars for Brighton & Hove Albion FC matches and other outdoor events at the AMEX Stadium at Falmer.

The land has been used in this way for Albion games on a temporary basis for the last two years. The Council’s planning committee has stipulated that the park and ride should not take place when there is a race event or other large scale event happening at the racecourse.

This seems excellent news as far as the Racecourse is concerned. It is 230 years ago this month that the Duke of Cumberland, Marquess of Queensberry and Earl of Egremont organised the first meeting on Whitehawk Down. Over the ensuing years it has become an iconic Brighton asset and anything that improves its profitablility and prospects is welcome.

The benefits of this parking facility to the environment, traffic, residents however seems far less clear. What is thought to be its catchment area? Will cars be driven across Hove, Brighton to the Racecourse? Or from Whitehawk, Woodingdean, Peachehaven etc. only to retrace part of their route by bus. What was the point of locating the Stadium on a railway line and a dual carriageway bypass if the railway cannot cope and the Stadium has minimal parking available on site?

The chair of the council’s planning committee seems not to agree., Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty, said: “This is a tried and tested solution that will really help fans and residents alike."

Summer jumpers

Transforming the Level

Note: The tour of the children's play area starts at 1.50 min.
Looks good so far but the fountain area shown at this stage doesn't seem to be extending over the whole footprint of the original boating lakes. This is important in order to give the bridges a token functionality.

Video tour of the new Level skatepark

Petition to save a 'green lung'.

Images from Google Earth.

The BHASVIC school field is a wonderful asset. A pleasure to the eye of the passer-by, and a life-enhancing resource to the 3 schools that use it for sports  and local residents for casual recreation. It has been open to the public for 30 years.

Now the field has been identified by Central Government (Education Funding Agency) as the proposed permanent site of the King's School (a Church of England Free School for pupils aged 11-18).

To oppose these plans a petition has been launched here:-

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/rt-hon-michael-gove-mp-secretary-of-state-for-education-drop-proposal-to-build-new-school-on-bhasvic-field

There is also a Facebook group and a Twitter account.

Funding secured for new Level skatepark

Visualisation from south-west corner

The final funding for the new skate park at The Level is now in place - thanks to a £150,000 Olympic legacy grant from ‘Inspired Facilities’ funding which is part of the £135 million 'Places People Play' legacy programme. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark - celebrating the link to the Games.

The skate park is being developed as part of the Level Restoration Project but has been funded separately through a combination of council funding, developer contributions and grants, including £50,000 from Veolia Environmental Trust.

The skate park is being designed and built by Freestyle Skateparks. The company has been working closely with the Brighton & Hove Skateparks Association  to develop an exciting and innovative design which will suit skaters of all ages and abilities.

The facility will be constructed from polished concrete and sunk into the ground to the north of the Rose Walk. The sunken nature of the skate park will retain the open character of the northern part of The Level and keep its historic layout. Lighting seating, bins, cycle racks and signs will also be installed and a landscaped boundary with insect friendly and drought tolerant planting will be created.

Withdean Stadium improvements

The City planning committee have approved a £2.7m transformation to the Withdean Sports Complex including:-

• A new larger fitness suite with space for 125 equipment stations, compared to 50 now.
• New entrance and reception space with new café/bar
• Extended and completely refurbished changing facilities
• New exercise studio
• New cycling studio
• Three new therapy rooms
• A glazed link between indoor tennis centre and squash building

In the stadium, permanent permission has been granted to retain the 900-seat west stand.  The hitherto temporary north-west car park was also given permanent consent.  Capacity is to be slightly reduced to 106 spaces, with improved landscaping.  Temporary consent for three years has also been granted to retain toilets, changing rooms and storage containers.

The council says all these facilities will ensure the complex continues to be an important and popular sporting venue.

The 1200-seat north stand already has permanent permission.

Works are expected to start in next February and finish in December 2013.

The council are funding the scheme through borrowing which will be paid back by additional income generated. The project forms part of the council’s 10-year Sports Facilities Plan to improve the quality of facilities in the city to meet the current and future demands of residents. It is disappointing in this respect that a large swathe of he City, the London Rd. Valley will still be without a general sports hall for activities such as badminton, basketball, five-a-side football.

Withdean Stadium moves on

New running track for Withdean

Brighton Sunday Badminton

If, of a Sunday, you ever get a strange feeling that you would rather be playing badminton than going to Mass click here.

The New Level Skatepark

The Council's Parks Project Team  has submitted a Planning Application BH2012/01598 for the construction of a new city centre skate park together with associated landscaping.

The ramps will be sunk below ground level and screened on all 3 sides by a planted raised border protected by a galvanised knee-high rail. 

Visualisations of the landscaping before and after are provided.

From the south west:-

 From the north west:-

Relocation of the skatepark will allow a full and attractive restoration of the southern section to provide for the recreational preferences identified by the extensive public consultation. See the Final Master Plan  on the Council's website. 

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