The future of the Brighton History Centre

Three years ago, following an out-of-the-blue announcement that the Brighton History Centre would close within months, a vigorous campaign was mounted, resulting in a temporary reprieve for the facility.

The BHC will, nevertheless, finally close its doors in 2013 when its rich collection of books and original documents, covering all aspects of the city’s history, will transfer to The Keep at Falmer. 

The long-awaited opening of The Keep towards the end of the year is an exciting prospect. Yet much stands to be compromised in terms of access and service quality for users of the existing specialist city centre facility. Furthermore, as long ago as January 2010, BHC users were promised a key role in helping develop family and local history services throughout the city. To date, though, such user involvement has been minimal and apparently fruitless. 

A MEETING

Friends of the Brighton History Centre invite all users and interested parties to an open meeting with Janita Bagshawe, Head of Royal Pavilion and Museums at Brighton & Hove City Council and other relevant Council officers at 10.30am on Wednesday 19th December in the Education Pavilion (ground floor of Brighton Museum).

The aim of the meeting is to ensure that facilities and resources for BHC users are optimised, both at The Keep and at the proposed, compensatory city centre local and family history 'hub' which - somewhere, somehow - is to be crammed into the Jubilee Library.

There remain many other outstanding questions. For example, will present BHC staff continue their exceptional service, either at the Keep or at the new hub, or indeed both.

Also unknown is the timescale for closing the existing city centre facility. Documents held at East Sussex Record Office are already being mothballed ready for transfer to The Keep, so becoming increasingly inaccessible. Inevitably, BHC users will be similarly inconvenienced in due course; they need a guarantee that this will be kept to a minimum. 

Please consider attending this meeting and do bring your own questions. 

The Keep nears completion.

View from entrance road

On schedule, on target and on budget the Keep is nearing completion. Handover will be in May next year with opening to the public in late 2013. In between those dates an intensive operation will take place to move the archives of the East Sussex Record Office, The University of Sussex and the Brighton Local History Centre on to the ten miles of temperature & humidity controlled shelving in the Keep's repository. About 6 miles of the shelving is expected to be be immediately occupied. Land has been retained at the south end of the site for further expansion of the repository as and when necessary.

The cafe area 

Public study area is adjustably divided into two, one side for documents, the other for viewing digitised sources.

The ground floor (pink) of the repository

The multi-use room for schools, groups etc. can be divided into 3 or 2 sections. Fully AV equipped

The grass roof ready for planting.

The environmental control equipment on the top floor. Hot water is piped in from a biomass energy centre situated to the north of the Keep

View to the north west from the roof.

Earlier posts:-

The Keep gets the go-ahead

Brighton & the Keep
Work starts on the Keep

Saltdean Lido Community Interest Co. - new website

The Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company believes they are the only membership based bidder who will run the lido site and its facilities on behalf of the community, reinvesting profits back into this unique asset to ensure its long term use by future generations.

Have a look through the website to find out more about the Company and how you can get involved.

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

Development of St. Augustine's convent

Planning application BH2012/03364 for the site at 1 Manor Road, East Brighton requires the demolition of this chapel and the refurbishment and conversion of the two detached villas on the site to provide 16 flats. The villas date from 1906. The chapel was added later.

St. Augustine's convent.

Six new buildings of 2 or 3 storeys will be erected around the site to provide 22 houses and 8 flats with associated car and cycle parking and landscaping. A tree survey showed a number of trees were in poor condition both on site and in nearby roads so expect to see a general denuding of what has been an almost rural corner of Brighton. A survey for bat roosts was also carried out but none were found at the time. The installation of bat detectors is recommended.

West elevation of proposed development.

Google Earth view of site