News: The Eco Tech show returns
Frank le Duc reports on the Eco Technology Show 2013 & the future of the King Alfred
The Eco Technology Show returns next month. The two-day show was held for the first time last year, with thousands of people going along to learn how to live a greener lifestyle. This year the show is being held at the Brighton Centre with the organisers promising even more ways to save money through energy efficiency.
More than 100 exhibitors have already booked space for the event which will showcase the latest technology in zones covering renewable energy, eco building and sustainable transport. The event will offer ideas for the home and office.
The organisers are promising more than 60 expert-led practical workshops and seminars to help people save money with the latest low carbon products. The themes covered include self-build, household energy efficiency and retrofitting, renewable energy, smarter driving and waste.
The experts will spell out the incentives currently available for those installing renewable energy products such as solar panels and wind turbines. They will explain how long it takes before energy-saving products pay for themselves. And they will describe how the government’s Green Deal can help homeowners.
Free 15-minute consultations with an expert are on offer at the “advisors hub”. And there will be opportunities to test drive the latest low-emission cars, electric bikes and scooters.
Nicola Gunstone, the Eco Technology Show’s commercial director, said: “This year’s show is guaranteed to give visitors the chance to see, try and learn more about the latest eco technologies. From concept cars to living roofs and rainwater harvesting, the show will be packed full of ideas on how we can all save money by being more energy and fuel efficient, be it at home, at work or on the road.”
The show is being run alongside the Eco Open Houses event which is now in its sixth year. More than 20 householders will be throwing open their doors so the public can see the best in self-build, energy efficiency and green architecture.
The Eco Technology Show event takes place at the Brighton Centre on from 9am to 5pm on Friday 14 June and 10am to 5pm on Saturday 15 June. Tickets cost £5 for adults with free admission for under 16s.
For more information visit www.ecotechnologyshow.co.uk
Can King Alfred be revived?
The future of the King Alfred Leisure Centre is being discussed by at least two groups locally and will be the subject of a public meeting next week. The public meeting has been called by the Conservative MP for Hove Mike Weatherley. He is critical of the pace of progress of plans to redevelop the site. He is hosting a public meeting at Hove Town Hall at 2pm on next Friday 24 May.
On Tuesday 14 May Hove businessman Rob Starr will host the first meeting of a steering group set up to shape his plans for the site.
He wants to develop and run an integrated arts and leisure centre on the four-acre site. He said: “There is significant unmet demand for sports, leisure, cultural and arts facilities in Brighton and Hove.”
Mr Starr accepts the need for housing to fund the cost of rebuilding the leisure centre – in line with broad plans agreed by Brighton and Hove City Council. He also wants to include a health centre on the site and is working with the two local GPs, Sarah Andersen and Laura Marshall-Andrews. They have been promoting plans for Future Health, a modern and integrated approach to healthcare.
All this is happening as the council’s King Alfred Project Board continues to meet. Earlier this year it agreed a broad menu for the site. Now it is working on the planning brief that will act as a framework for potential developers. The aim is for the council to be able to open a new swimming pool and leisure centre and build more homes, some for poorer families, without using public money.
The project board includes three councillors. Geoffrey Bowden is the Green councillor on the board. He chairs the council’s Economic Development and Culture Committee. Andrew Wealls is the Conservative councillor. He represents the Central Hove ward which includes the King Alfred site. And the Labour councillor is Warren Morgan, who many expect to be declared the new leader of the Brighton and Hove Labour Party this evening.
Tony Mernagh, who chairs the Local Strategic Partnership, is on the project board along with the council’s planning chief Martin Randall. Mr Randall is familiar with the last serious proposal to redevelop the King Alfred. The proposal, by developer Karis and involving the architect Frank Gehry, was granted planning permission. But the financial backers pulled the plug as the credit crunch undermined the project’s viability. The project board is keen to ensure that this time things go swimmingly.
