Brighton & Hove Headlines
With Phil Mills
50-week promenade renovations
They were built during the reign of Queen Victoria and 120 years later work has begun to renovate the Kings Road Arches, on the prom between Alfresco’s restaurant and the i360 viewing tower site at the West Pier.
The work to strengthen and refurbish the historic arches will take 50 weeks – yes, the best part of a year – and the upper prom will be closed during that time. There’ll be new road crossings for pedestrians and cyclists, and diversions. Businesses on the lower prom and seafront will remain open.
Single carriageway?
There’s been a plethora of news stories: Doubts have been expressed about the benefits of a £4.2 million scheme to turn Lewes Road into a single carriageway to provide a bus lane. Critics now say it won’t force drivers onto buses in the numbers they’d hoped. And Latest reader Bob McCart emailed, “The council is skint and should shelve the plan.” What do you think? Email: comment@thelatest.co.uk. Council union chiefs, meanwhile, are already talking strike action should there be any compulsory redundancies because of budget cuts.
Weather woes
The spring saw drought conditions, then there were non-stop downpours and now there’s the threat of floods – the Environment Agency says water levels, especially around Lewes, are such that the risk of flooding this autumn/winter is high. While on the weather, Blatchington Mill students were forced to stay inside their New York hotel as Hurricane Sandy caused havoc during their school trip.
Police news
Eleven officers involved in the investigation and capture of Al Amin Dhalla, convicted in June for a series of offences committed during a three month campaign of harassment against his ex-girlfriend and her family, won Brighton and Hove’s Outstanding Investigator Team Award, along with their team leader at the time, Detective Inspector John Wallace. Police are appealing for witnesses following an attack on a 44-year-old in Camelford Street, Brighton. He was punched and kicked to the ground before the attackers stole his wallet. And nine people were arrested by police hunting illegal immigrants in city restaurants.
Not for kids
Bonfire night went with a bang with huge crowds attending the world famous celebrations in Lewes. The local council, for the first time, declared the event “too frightening” for children, following last year’s incidents which left five people with eye injuries. Nonetheless, thousands enjoyed themselves. One reveller Larry Whiteacre, emailed the following quip, “We saw a new firework made in the shape of a former French dictator – it was called a Napoleon Blownapart.”
Climbing high
The council have approved plans for the first rock-climbing centre in Brighton & Hove, at a disused warehouse on Victoria Road, Portslade. The development by Pitch 9 Climbing Ltd would offer ‘bouldering’ practice – low-level unroped climbing over soft crash mats. Around 170 customers a day are expected to visit.
Shredded neat
Lewes MP, Norman Baker, Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Transport, was given a tour of a new recycling firm at Burgess Hill, Shredded Neat, by its MD Tony Hannigan. And contractors Thomas Sinden have been appointed to build an eco-café on The Level, similar to the new café in Russell Square. It will include an environmentally friendly ‘green’ roof and other eco technologies such as low-energy lighting, solar thermal panels and an air source heat pump. Work begins 3 December.
