Horsdean traveller site

This piece of land, formerly part of the Brighton Rugby Club playing field, was quickly colonised by travellers when the A27 Brighton bypass was opened in 1996. Over the following two years the number of caravans rose to over 180 and the situation became quite chaotic.  In 1998 the Council sent in the bailiffs and the travellers scattered throughout the City leaving behind an indescribable mess.  The Council then drew up proposals for a legal transit site, and opposition of local residents crumbled when the Government refused a public enquiry in December that year.

A permanent site, with drainage and toilet facilities and hard-standing for 23 caravans, was opened in September 1999. Occupants had to prove a need to stay in the area, were charged £40 per week and  limited to 6 months stay at any one time.

In 2002 the travellers received a £2000 grant from the Scarman trust for play equipment. In 2005 the Council was awarded £159,000 from a Government grant to help towards an upgrade of the site including provision of an electricity supply. In 2009 the rent was increased to £60 per week and occupants were limited to 1 months stay with a possible extension to 3 months if their plot wasn't needed.

The site was vandalised in 2008 and again in 2009 and had to be closed for repairs. In 2011, 24 hour security was provided at a cost to the taxpayer of £85,000 per year.

There are now proposals to extend the site northwards by adding a further 16 pitches dedicated to long-stay "travellers" who will have to supply evidence of close ties with the neighbourhood. The whole site is now in the South Downs National Park, the Authority for which will have to give planning permission. They have asked for two other sites to be reported on for comparison: Waterhall Farm and Hangleton Bottom.

Brighton has long operated a somewhat tolerant attitude towards travellers, reinforced in recent years by the Human Rights Act, but all efforts will only scratch at the problem unless other councils in the South East make similar efforts.

Comment on the City Council's 'New Traveller Commissioning Strategy 2012' here.

The Queen Square hotel (cont.)

It is disappointing that, at a recent meeting, the Conservation Advisory Group recommended refusal of application BH2011/03227, chiefly on the grounds of the proposed hotel's height & bulk. A site at the end of a 'square' such as this surely requires completion with a moderately imposing building. It may be that the design can be criticised on matters of style or detail but it is difficult to conceive how any lower edifice could fill the gap in an aesthetically satisfactory manner.

The existing no.10 Queen Square rises to five storeys including a semi-basement. No.11 is to be rebuilt as part of the hotel, but, following the roofline trend of the street, will be 1 metre higher than no.10, again only with five storeys. The hotel accomodation shown in section will also be five storeys with the lower ground floor slightly above the basement level of no.10.

Superimposed on the 5th floor is a "lantern" storey housing service equipment. The hotel is therefore one storey higher than those in Queen Square, not "two or three" as some claim. Furthermore the sixth storey does not extend to the full plan area of the hotel but is set back from its outside wall on all sides so becoming  inconspicuous. 

The total height of the hotel is a little more than 18 metres. Concern has been expressed over the overshadowing of the churchyard, but it seems inevitable that any economic use of the site will involve a building higher than the existing. Any practicable reduction in height would have only marginal effects on the churchyard but could critically compromise the appearance of the development in Queen Square.

At the rear the upper ground floor is separated from the churchyard wall by a passage way. If this passage way were to be widened, at the expense of the internal accommodation, the shadow cast by the building on the churchyard would be mitigated somewhat, but only on a little frequented part of the churchyard. (Hence an earlier suggestion for the creation of a permissive foot path through the hotel). The hotel would, in effect, be gaining an extra outside area it cannot use, at the expense of providing an extra piece of unshadowed churchyard that the public doesn't use. 

Turning to consider effects on Wykeham Terrace, the hotel will rise approximately 7.5 metres above Wykeham Terrace as shown below but because of the geometry will not be in the line of sight of a pedestrian in Dyke Road over 40 metres away. 

It is true that as one climbs into St. Nicholas churchyard or up Dyke Road the new hotel will come into view behind the end properties in Wykeham Terrace. The applicant has supplied the visualisation below in which the viewer is on eye level with the Wykeham Terrace rooftops.  This is a puzzling picture and not doing the applicant any favours. It is surely showing at least one floor too many of the hotel according to the geometry suggested by the sectional drawing. Whatever, there seems to be no area in the neighbourhood where the houses of Wykeham Terrace, viewed from the front at ground level, will be over-topped by the proposed hotel. 

Higher still in the churchyard one gets a fine view towards St. Pauls and the sea as shown in the photo below. In this view the west end of the hotel would be visible between the two trees on the left. The view of St. Pauls, centre, will not be obscured.

Burning the Clocks - 2011

A few photos:-

The mild dry evening produced what seemed a record turnout of spectators. By 7pm not a spare vantage point along Madeira Drive or Marine parade was to be had. The last photo would have been much better if I could have found a space to erect a tripod (and had bothered to take one along :) ).

All  Brighton people (and other pagans) can help to keep "Burning the Clocks" going. Just donate £1 by texting 'sameskyclocks' to 70100.

http://www.samesky.co.uk/

Season's greetings

Patcham Village: showing the 17th century, 250 ft. long, tithe barn of the former Patcham Court Farm, and a section of the probably older churchyard wall, viewed across what was the village pond. The pond was filled-in in the 1930's. The barn was converted to dwellings and a church hall in 1987.

Matt Whistler's Christmas Single - 2011

Last year's jollies in HD with music!