Madeira Terraces - 2nd funding bid rejected

BHCC's second bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to support the Madeira Terrace restoration has been unsuccessful. As before the HLF said there was nothing wrong with the bid, but they simply don’t have enough funding for all the projects that applied. Their funding has been cut by 50% and this funding round was very competitive. The funding requests from all applicants greatly exceeded the budget available.

Work is  continuing on the first three crowdfunded arches (at the western end of the terrace) aiming towards an on-site start date of spring 2019.

At the start of January 2019, an office and community hub will be opened in a shipping container on Madeira Drive. This space will help raise awareness of the restoration project and offer a base to raise funds during events.

Heritage funding and other types of funding will continue to be sought possibly including another bid for HLF funding in March 2019.

New Archaeology Gallery

Named for its major benefactor, the 'Elaine Evans Archaeology Gallery' opens to the public on 26 Jan.2019.

This is the first new gallery for 20 years to be devoted to the story of our ancestors who lived in Brighton & Hove from the Ice Age to the Saxons. It results from several years of work following a public petition from the Brighton & Hove Archaeology Society of which Elaine is a member.

At the heart of the exhibition will be seven forensically accurate 3D facial reconstructions revealing the faces of people, some of whose remains were found in and around Brighton & Hove from the Ice Age to the Saxon era.

Using modern scientific technology, research into the lives of these people has discovered a wealth of mystery, drama and tragedy through childbirth, malnutrition, toothache and possibly murder. Now you can see what they looked like and learn their real-life stories.

Pride Village Party consultation

A consultation opens today on the future of the Pride Village Party which has been an annual popular event in and around St James’s Street for many years.

Up until 2015 the event was not organised officially by either the council nor by Pride itself, instead, visitors independently congregated in the area attracted by the LGBTQ+ bars and clubs that exist there. Since 2015 Pride organisers have managed the PVP and have put resources in place to manage the disruption to local people including additional security personnel, street cleaning and toilets. It is now a ticketed event limited to certain parts of St James’s Street and neighbouring roads.

The council is now seeking the views of residents and businesses on the future of the PVP, including whether it should continue, where it should take place and any other changes people would like to be made to the event.

The consultation closes on 31 Jan 2019 and the responses will be reported to the Tourism, Development and Culture committee in March 2019.

For a paper copy of the questionnaire leave your name & address  on 01273 292100.

Christmas at the Royal Pavilion

Unblocking the Croydon bottleneck

Network Rail are developing major proposals to upgrade the Brighton Main Line – one of the most congested routes in the country –  to provide more reliable, faster and more frequent services on the line and its branches.

Key to the upgrade are proposals to remove the most challenging bottleneck on Britain’s railway network at the ‘Selhurst triangle’ and East Croydon station as part of proposals for the East Croydon to Selhurst Junction Capacity Enhancement Scheme.

To check out the plans, the Brighton consultation will be on:

Monday 10 and Tuesday 11 December 2018 - The Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, BN1 1YD, 4.00-8.00pm.   

More details: https://www.bhep.co.uk/brighton-business-news/2018/12/4/unblocking-the-croydon-bottleneck-public-consultation-in-brighton