Bathing beauty
The elegance of the building that housed Hove’s historic baths is fading. Locals want action
Medina House is in sorry state. It is at the centre of a stalemate. The owner Sirus Taghan bought it about 14 years ago – it was about the time that its former owner, the old Hove Borough Council, merged with Brighton. The building once housed the public baths – swimming pools and a laundry – in the days before the King Alfred. Before it was sold, it was used as a diamond-cutting workshop. The occupants had hoped to buy it themselves but were outbid.
The current stand-off shows no signs of ending. Mr Taghan, an architect and developer, has submitted a series of planning applications since he bought the site. At one point he was given permission to demolish the existing building and replace it with a low-rise development. Various proposals since then have been taller – often much taller – and have included flats and a hotel. One vision for the site was compared with a stack of plates.
As one scheme after another has been turned down, the site has deteriorated. Squatters have occupied it at different times. The weather has further damaged the exposed fabric, including some beautiful tile-work. And what was once noted for its elegance has become something of an eyesore. And yet Medina House still retains its hold on many people’s affections.
Over the summer hundreds of people living near the site signed a petition organised by the Save Hove campaign group. It called for a modest step towards resolving this longstanding problem. The petitioners urged Brighton and Hove City Council to prepare a planning brief. This is a way of setting out what can and cannot happen on the site. A planning brief that, say, ruled out a building that overshadowed the street of cottages behind would make it pointless for such a scheme to be submitted for consideration.
Instead the developer and the council appear to have been playing the planning equivalent of cat and mouse. Understandably, Mr Taghan wants the best possible return for his outlay on the site. And equally understandably, those living nearby, and even those queuing for their ice cream at neighbouring Marrocco’s in King’s Esplanade, want something that is in keeping with the area.
Of course, a planning brief takes time and money to prepare. And the council is under pressure to spend less money. The planning department is smaller than it was. It’s hard to imagine it growing any time soon. But a planning brief may well save officials time and energy in the long run. Importantly, it would give local people a chance to have their say. The Greens were elected promising greater participation in local democracy – and planning briefs are one sensible way of achieving this.
The device of a planning brief has been used successfully to find a way forward at Park House, by Hove Park, and on the site of the old Royal Alex in Dyke Road. A genuinely open consultation will help the council and Mr Taghan to establish whether people favour preserving aspects of the current site in any future development. After all, demolition was approved once before. And it would help all concerned to share their views about what sort of height and mass is appropriate given the location and the site’s surroundings.
The council’s Economic Development and Culture Committee will discuss the options at a meeting next week – on Thursday 20 September at Hove Town Hall. They are not being asked to settle the future of the site right now. But they can choose to give the civic lead necessary to ensure that the community has a chance to have its say – and the council and developer can find a way forward with clear guidelines to work from. Then, let us hope that Mr Taghan comes up with a scheme for us all to admire.
