Hove Civic Society October 2016 newsletter

Chairman’s Annual Report 2015-2016

Dear Members,

Yet again we have had a good year with progress across the board. Before I delve into details I would, however, like to share with you one of my growing concerns about the future role of our Society and how we can adapt to the local challenges arising from the reduction in public expenditure across the city.

In sharp contrast to many other organisations in the City we are fortunately not dependent on public sector fund-ing for our activities. However, we are starting to feel the impact.

There is, for example, the complete moratorium on street tree planting by the council, with associated staff reduc-tions, which makes our street tree planting programme much more diffi cult.

250 street trees less a year may not seem a lot, but cumulatively it will impact on our street scene in Hove by gradually depleting the stock, as it is not being replaced, and removing one of the most attractive components of our public space.

Coupled with an inevitable reduction on public space maintenance we are building up a huge problem in the city, as anybody will know who owns a house and neglects its maintenance.

I believe we cannot let this happen and need to fi nd ways of maintaining and improving our local environment to counteract the impacts of public sector expenditure reductions. I am calling on all Hove Councillors and the Hove Business Association to work with us on this challenge.

Development Proposals:

During the year we continued to monitor development proposals in the City and apart from the many comments we have contributed to discussions at the Conservation Advisory Group, where we are one of the members, we have made separate representations on the following:

Sackville Hotel site, a proposed 17-storey residential tower: we objected to this for several reasons including it being substantial over-development not least in terms of fl oor area ratio and number of dwellings and bed spaces.

In addition we felt that the building would have a detrimental visual impact on the conservation area arising from the great diff erence in scale between this building and its neighbours.

Former brewery site, Portslade: Four applications were made for this site and whilst we supported one of the applications it was felt that all four should be considered together rather than individually to deal with the overall impact on the area.

2 Pembroke Hotel, 3rd Avenue: we supported this proposal for a restoration of the building to its original state.

Over and above this we have attended exhibitions andhave been involved in discussions with a number of developers on substantial proposals. These included Matsim’s proposal for Hove Gardens (at Conway Street), which we believe merits strong support and the proposals for the now disused Texaco petrol station on Kingsway, which we also feel will make a positive contribution to the City.

We were privileged to hear a presentation from the entire King Alfred team at our Forum in April which left us with a strong sense of confi dence that we can get not only an acceptable but an excellent outcome for the site.

City Planning

Finally Part I of the City Plan was declared sound early in the year, with some concern expressed by the Inspector. The planning department has since prepared a scoping document for Part II, for which there was a consultation during the summer of 2016.

We will respond to this especially to express our con-cerns about the huge gap between housing needs (ca 31,000 at the latest count) and proposed supply for the next 14 years (ca 13,000). We believe more eff ort needs to be devoted to unlock a number of brownfi eld sites but also that a more proactive approach is needed for sites at the periphery of the city.

We do believe that a number of policies in the City Plan are essentially putting unnecessary constraint on development and that we could achieve much better outcomes with fewer constraints.

Environmental Improvements

I refer to my initial comments. I am pleased to report that the proposal to improve the environment of Church Road is now one of the Council’s priority schemes and that design work is likely to start on this next year. I expect us to be closely involved in this.

I regret that we have made no progress on the on-street refuse and recycling sites. I can’t see how this can progress whilst City Clean is going through its current reductions.

I have been approached to reintroduce our watch on street furniture on the seafront and I hope that we will be able to reintroduce this in early autumn.

I believe many improvements are necessary to our shopping areas such as Blatchington Road and Portland Road but also to many residential streets. If any member has any suggestions and is prepared to help out then please let me know.

Street Tree Heritage

The planting of 18 Street Trees in Shakespeare and Coleridge Streets went according to plan and the trees have all taken and are well looked after. As the council has now withdrawn all street tree planting funds we have been given the opportunity to select our own contractors for the next planting project.

The new arrangements make for a more complicated bureaucracy including us having to apply for a license for work on a public highway.

We are still aiming to plant some 15 trees on Portland Road (including replacing some existing trees), preferably elms, and I hope we can overcome the hurdles ahead.

The trees will be funded in their entirety by members’ contributions (our Angels and Cherubs!) with welcome additional funding by West Hove Forum and the Hove Business Association. If you want to contribute to this type of work why not become a tree angel!

Hove Plinth

The past year has in essence been spent securing the necessary funding for the plinth and starting discussions about sponsorship for the first three sculptures. The three maquettes were unveiled in October by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove City Council, Lynda Hyde, and have since been exhibited in a number of locations to raise awareness.

During the autumn we received planning permission for all three sculptures, to be placed on the plinth for between 12 and 18 months each. We also received renewal of our planning permission for the plinth itself, which expires in May 2019.

Shortly after my last annual report, we received a very welcome grant of £20,000 from the Headley Trust for the construction of the plinth. Much time was spent during the early part of this year preparing for a crowd funding campaign. This managed to raise over £12,000. Publicity was extensive and Brighton Big Screen ran our video every evening throughout the early summer. Total funding secured to date including pledges is around £94,000 of which just under £80,000 is for the plinth.

The efforts will now concentrate on finalising the plinth designs and deepening the discussions with potential sponsors for the sculptures.

As we are looking ahead to the first sculptures to go on the plinth, we have agreed a paper that outlines our ideas for sculpture in the city. We would like as many of the works as possible to find a permanent home in the city, eventually connected by a trail, which we believe could become a major cultural attraction for the City.

Now is the time to anchor the concept and we have started discussions with planners and city politicians to get the idea accepted.

Lecture Programme

We again had a very interesting lecture programme, which finished in April with our usual Forum. This time we managed to attract the winning King Alfred team led by Rob Starr, including both the architects for the leisure centre, LA Architects, and for the other parts of the development, Haworth Tompkins, and Crest Nicholson, the developers.

The presentation demonstrated the very high quality of the team and the excellent principles behind the development. The audience came away with the feeling that there was much potential influence on the eventual shape of the development to be had and that there was enormous willingness to be imaginative and to look for good solutions.

Finance and Membership

Essentially sound as last year with a growing surplus. We are now moving into a different league with our growing funds, much of which we expect to spend towards the end of this and early next financial year.

I am very grateful for the many donations we have received and as donations of £100 and above attract free membership our overall membership is also increasing to now over 220 members.

I am grateful for all those members that have agreed to switch over to payment by SO and also thanks for the e-mail addresses. This guarantees you a colour copy of our newsletter and saves us a lot of effort.

Many Thanks

Many people are involved in making all this work possible and I would like to thank all of them, especially the out going committee and our sculpture group.

We could do with more help in all sorts of areas including environmental expertise and enthusiasm, conservation expertise, fund raising help and project management skills. Do join and help us improve our area.

Finally thanks to all members for your valued continued support.

Helmut LusserChairman

Volunteers needed

History and heritage - blue plaques

Four very well attended unveilings so far this year.

Captain Theodore Wright, Royal Engineers, was born at 119 Lansdowne Place, Hove in 1883. In August 1914 he was wounded by shrapnel but successfully blew up bridges, for which he was awarded the VC.

The following month he was killed while assisting wound-ed men to shelter. “No man earned a better Victoria Cross.” The ceremony had a suitably military flavour, with representatives from the Royal British Legion, the Royal Engineers and a Spitfire pilot. A trumpeter from the Salva-tion Army played the Last Post, Reveille and the National Anthem. We then marched in procession to the reception at Wavertree House (RNIB).

At the India Gate, Royal Pavilion, a plaque was unveiled to honour Mir Dast, who earned a VC for bravery at Ypres. He received the medal from King George V whilst convalescing at the Royal Pavilion when it was the Indian Military Hospital. Dr Virander Paul, the Deputy High Commissioner of India, addressed the throng, and many wreaths were laid to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the departure of the Indian soldiers. I obtained a familiar poppy wreath from the Royal British Legion and laid it on behalf of our Society.

In June a plaque was unveiled at 22 East Street to commemorate Israel Samuel, the first Jewish resident in Brighton & Hove – 1766-1806. He was a silversmith, toyman and lodging-house keeper. Since then the Jewish community in Brighton & Hove has prospered and is now the 4th largest provincial Jewish community in the UK.

Several eminent Jewish representatives addressed the gathering, including Ivor Caplin (former Hove MP), and entertainment was provided by the excellent Brighton & Hove Youth Big Band. To add to the celebrations the impressive Middle Street synagogue was opened for the afternoon.

The fourth plaque was unveiled by His Grace the Duke of St Albans at St Albans House, 131 Kings Road, Brighton, to commemorate Harriot Mellon, Duchess of St Albans (1777-1837). She became a successful actress, who was celebrated for her beauty and painted by George Romney and Sir Thomas Lawrence.

A very wealthy elderly banker, Thomas Coutts, married her and in 1822 she inherited his entire fortune. Five years later she married the 9th Duke of St Albans, 23 years her junior. She stayed at her Brighton residence from 1830 to 1837, and with money and a title was very much part of the Brighton social scene.

Another event that I always enjoy is the Sussex Heritage Trust awards luncheon. You may remember that I wrote an article in last January’s newsletter praising the thought that had gone into the building of Friese-Greene House on the site of the art deco Granada cinema. I urged the architects to enter their project, and was delighted to be present in May to see Conran Partners win the Large Scale Residential award, and Mel Howse win the Building Crafts award for her beautiful glass window.

Helmut has also asked me to mention an unusual award that I received recently. My late husband and I bought an apartment in Villajoyosa in 1982 as a winter getaway in our busy lives. Villajoyosa is the best kept secret on the Costa Blanca, a small historic town, not touristy.

Fast forward to 2012, when I became a volunteer/patron of the archaeological museum. Among other things I sponsored three replica capitals for the Tower of Sant Josep, one of the tallest funerary monuments in Spain and dating from the 2nd century AD.

The restored Tower has already won an award, and earlier this year I sponsored the gardens round the Tower and its illumination at night. To thank me for my support the Council named the gardens “los jardines de Elaine Evans”, and the official opening ceremony took place in April. To be able to help with the restoration of a Roman monument has been a dream come true!

Elaine Evans

Unveiling of the Israel Samuel blue plaquePhoto credit: The Argus

1. Housing

We believe the 13,200 aspiration of the plan needs to be seen as a minimum as the housing needs identified are now exceeding 31,000. The council should speedily identify sites and adjust those policies that effectively hinder achieving more units on sites. This must include a revision of the high buildings policy and a close look is needed at conservation policies, which should be applied more selectively in areas of lesser significance, for example, the listed buildings around Hove Station.

We also believe that many buildings in the city especially those of the 60s and 70s can accommodate additional storeys, which could help improve the visual appearance of some of those buildings.

We believe that several built up areas in the city lend themselves to significant redevelopment (especially in the areas identified as development areas in the city plan) and believe a more proactive stance is needed to facilitate such development. This may mean rationalis-ing land uses and requires an active involvement by the council to make this possible.

We have a fundamental concern about ‘salami-slicing’ areas of the urban fringe for development. If nothing else this will lead to smaller sites being developed at below their capacity and without the necessary infrastructure in place. We would strongly suggest that the council takes a more fundamental approach and seeks to allocate an

area the size of Toads Hole Valley to the east of the city to create a new city quarter with all necessary infrastruc-ture included. The council should look at its own land holdings to facilitate such an approach. We believe this would show the way for better town planning in the city.

1. Economy and Employment

The city needs new, modern, employment facilities. Whilst there is an indication of new office supplies, we believe that other uses (workshops, industrial, warehous-ing) are under considerable pressure not least because of the housing needs.

We would argue that many existing employment uses are in outdated locations, attracting heavy vehicles right into the central parts of the city. We believe the council should start thinking about new built industrial and warehousing complexes at the periphery of the city set in a high quality environment. The search for sites should be similar to that for peripheral housing sites that were undertaken by the council in 2015 and the council could look at its own land holdings to implement such an approach. With such locations inner city warehousing could be freed up for much needed high density urban redevelopment.

2. Biodiversity and Open Spaces

With the council retreating from street tree planting from 2016, there is a genuine fear that our street environmentwill continue to deteriorate. Street trees are essential for visual, health and ecological reasons. We would therefore suggest that for each new dwelling built in the city during the plan period one new street tree is planted.

HCS comment on the scoping consultation for Part II of the City Plan

In total this would allow the density of trees to be extend-ed and street trees planted in areas which have hitherto not had the benefit. The trees would help absorb some of the CO2 emissions generated by new developments. The funding could be secured via S106 or CIL.

3. Design

We believe that more attention needs to be paid to the public realm around new developments including adjacent streets and spaces and that any opportunity should be taken to improve such areas in the context of new development.

4. Heritage

The large number of conservation areas and listed build-ings are afforded a similarly high level of protection in the city. We believe that many conservation areas are drawn too widely which means that there is unnecessary protection around them including a too prescriptive approach in terms of visual impact from new surrounding developments.

A case in point is the assembly of mediocre buildings in the Hove Station CA and the visual impact protection that these are afforded.

We believe that much higher protection should be given to say Brunswick Square than some of the minor conservation areas and their edges.

We do concede that there are also several areas in the city that should be included in new conservation areas.

Conservation requires not only protection but also pro-active intervention – hence enhancement statements, or as we would prefer to call them, investment strategies. Strategies that could be drawn on to decide on S106 payments.

Such strategies could be prepared by local groups and the council is urged to engage in more genuine partner-ship with local organisations to recognise such work. Whilst conservation in the city currently is directed at buildings we would like to see a strong emphasis also on the public realm enveloping those buildings.

5. Arts

Hove Civic Society has planning permission to install a plinth on Hove seafront and permission for the first three sculptures to go onto the plinth for periods of 12-18 months each. It is the ambition of the Society to find places for the sculptures within the city once they have been on display on the seafront plinth. Locations could be major development sites or carefully chosen locations in the public realm.

We believe this could become the beginning of a major tourist attraction and community asset for the city. We would ask the council to enshrine our concept of ‘sculpture in the city’ into Part II of the City Plan and allow developers to dedicate some of their S106 funding as contributions to new sculptures for the city. We can provide more details on the scheme.

Hove Stories: On the beach

Hove beach in the summer is where people come to enjoy themselves – young and old, alone or in groups, lazily or adventurously, for a quick swim or a whole day out. Sunbathing and going in the sea, of course, but also a mass baptismal service and picnic, or just enjoying the evening light with only the seagulls for company. Celia Britton

Crowdfunding raises £12 000 for Hove Plinth

In June and July Hove Civic Society ran a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for the Hove Plinth. We are delighted to report that with the additional funds raised, we have now secured total resources of £94,000, of which £80,000 is earmarked to create the plinth and a fantastic site for public art on Hove seafront.

More than 100 people pledged donations and we have made many contacts with organisations and individuals who want to join us in bringing new public art to the city.

The campaign required intensive preparation and running from a small team of people, all giving their time for free, and the campaign was widely publicized through radio, TV, local papers, social media, emails, newsletters, blogs, posters, video screenings and a seafront display. It was exhausting but rewarding.

We can’t thank enough all those individuals who donated and the many organisations who raised the profile of the campaign through brilliant publicity.

Special thanks go to Brighton & Hove Buses for putting our poster in the city buses, to Brighton’s Big Screen for showing the Hove Plinth video, to our reward sponsors Cass Art Ltd, Theatre Royal, Nicole Urbanski, The Bridal Hair Co, Hazel Reeves and Philip Jackson’s Sculpture Studio.

Big thanks also go to Hove Business Association, the Chamber of Commerce Brighton, West Pier Trust, Kellie Miller Arts, Nicole Urbanski, Artists Open Houses, Best of Brighton & Hove, We love Brighton, Phoenix Brighton, Fabrica and local councillors for promoting the campaign in newsletters and social media.

The campaign reached beyond Brighton and Hove through 3rd Dimension online sculpture magazine, SWA (Society of Women Artists) and Surrey Sculpture Society, and even the London Mayor’s Office tweeted their support.

We had many supportive comments and were chuffed to get an endorsement from Prue Leith, the celebrity chef who as chair of the RSA was pivotal in bringing about the use of the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, London for contemporary sculpture displays - a great inspiration for the Hove Plinth.

Prue said: “I am very excited to see that the ideas behind the Fourth Plinth are being taken forward in Hove - a ‘Fifth’ plinth showcasing sculpture against the backdrop of the sea is a wonderful idea and I congratulate the Hove Civic Society on their efforts and wish them success in bringing the project to fruition.”

We are now in a good place to close the remaining gap in resources for the plinth and to move ahead in securing sponsorship for sculptures.

In the autumn we will focus on finalising the designs and budget for the plinth and plans for the sculpture programme as well as continuing to foster partnerships and applying for grants.

There is a huge amount of work to do so if you feel you can help please get in touch.

Karin Janzon

Email Karin at:karin@hovecivicsociety.org

A selection of plinthies

A few more plinthie posers

Keep in touch...Join our mailing list: info@hovecivicsociety.org

Visit our website: www.hovecivicsociety.org Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ hovecivicsociety Follow us on Twitter: @LoveHove

Visit our website: www.hovecivicsociety.org Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ hovecivicsociety Follow us on Twitter: @LoveHove

Printed by:

The Printhouse, 26-28 St John’s Road

Hove, East SussexBN3 2FB

Tel: 01273 325667

John Nash and the Royal Pavilion - Mark Perry Nash

The story of Brighton’s world-famous Royal Pavilion is, in part, the story of two very diff erent men and the working relationship - even friendship - that developed between them.

One was the Prince of Wales and future King George IV (1760-1830) and the other was Lambeth architect John Nash (1752-1835). Two men from totally diff erent back-grounds but both sharing a creative fl air and vivid imaginations.

What began as a simple timber-framed villa by the sea would grow to become one of the iconic buildings of Regency England.

John Nash began as an apprentice at the age of 14 and struggled to build a career as an architect. Bankrupted at the age of 32 through an unwise business partnership, he had to begin all over again, and when he met the Prince of Wales in 1798 it began a relationship that was to last more than 30 years.

John became the ‘King’s Master of Works’ in 1815 and began the work that would symbolize an era. This is the story of these remarkable men and the equally remarkable ‘Marine Pavilion’ that they created between them.

Winter HCS Lecture Programme

All lectures will take place in The Courtlands Hotel and begin at 7pm.

27th October AGM with Peter Kyle MP

Our fi rst event of the 2016-17 evening programme will, of course, be the AGM.

Apart from the formal proceedings, always brief, will be a presentation by our Chairman on the activities of the year.

We will start at 6.30 with a welcome drink to be followed by the AGM at 7 pm. Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Port-slade, will speak from about 7.45pm.

We have asked him to address the very large, real needs for appropriate housing for all in the constituency and the title of his presentation is:

‘How can we achieve really aff ordable housing in the City?’

24th November Mark Perry Nash, “John Nash and the Royal Pavilion”

26th January 2017 (tbc)

23rd February Bill McNaught, “The Brunels – Father and Son”

23rd March Dr. Sue Berry, “City Churches in Brighton and Hove”

27th April Discussion Forum

Each lecture will be publicised in more detail on our web-site and by email.

Peter Kyle - MP for Hove & Portslade

John Nash