Tim Ridgway’s Latest News
COUNTING THE COST
Brighton is still counting the cost of the March For England, three months after the nationalist protest came to town.
A recent survey of more than 100 businesses showed that they lost a combined £150,000 thanks to the city centre being closed.
Widening this figure out to all the city’s firms, it is claimed the total loss of revenue reached seven figures.
With the policing operation also exceeding £500,000, some are asking for the march to be relocated, or even banned.
Watch our report, at thelatest.tv.
AQUARIUM ROUNDABOUT
Funding looks likely to be available to make one of Brighton’s most chaotic junctions safer – under plans to improve traffic flows and create a new urban park in the city centre.
Brighton and Hove City Council has been awarded £14 million to revamp the Valley Gardens area.
With only £8 million needed to transform the highway down the seafront, the remainder will be spent on the Aquarium Roundabout, opposite the Palace Pier.
OPEN ALL HOURS
The ribbon has finally been cut on Brighton’s Open Market.
After years of working up plans, the area off London Road which has been home to traders since the 1920s, was officially opened as a new development on Saturday.
Old favourites such as Buttons & Bows and “Bacon King” Dave Ovett will rub shoulders with independent start-ups like T-shirt company Smith & Crumble, and Shaboutique.
Established Brighton brands including Real Patisserie and Smorl’s Houmous are also among the 45 new tenants.
To see our report, visit www.thelatest.tv.
PUB SALE
There was once one on every street corner.
But, as another Brighton pub goes up for sale, are we falling out of love with the local boozer?
The freehold of The Albion on Albion Hill has been put on the market for a cool £375,000 + VAT.
Brighton-based agents Fleurets claim the two-storey venue is ripe for residential conversion.
But is that what locals want? Check out our report on www.thelatest.tv
CATERING CONTRACT CUT
A famous foodie’s firm has pulled out of running the catering at some of Brighton’s most famous venues.
Peyton and Byrne signed a multi-year deal to serve food and drinks at the prestigious venues including the city’s Royal Pavilion, the neighbouring Dome complex and Hove Museum in January 2013.
But just 18 months into the contract the firm has announced it will pull away from the deal, claiming it “does not fit with their core activities in London”. To see our report, visit www.thelatest.tv.
SPADE IN THE GROUND
Work on the i360 observation tower has officially begun.
The turf cutting ceremony at the site near Brighton’s West Pier is today (July 29), the same time as the opening of the new adjoining arches.
Work on the tower is expected to be complete by summer 2016.
BARRACKS
After sitting dormant for years, £150 million plans to transform the former army barracks off Brighton’s Lewes Road have taken a major step forward.
The University of Brighton and developers Cathedral Group have exchanged contracts with Brighton and Hove City Council for the purchase of Preston Barracks.
They will now work together on more detailed proposals for the site and neighbouring university land before applying for planning permission.
Early plans are to create academic buildings, student accommodation with 1,300 bedrooms, 350 quality new homes and 25,000 sq ft of retail space.
To find out what city leaders think, visit www.thelatest.tv.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
Red blooms are popping up all over Brighton and Hove to remember World War One.
One hundred years on from start of the Great War, the city council has planted several kilos of poppy seed mixed with other red species in locations ranging from roadside verges to parks.
City leaders claim it is an eco-friendly way to poignantly remember the millions of people who died in the conflict.
To watch our report, visit www.thelatest.tv.
“CHECK OUT OUR STREET”
Brighton’s London Road has gone through a little bit of a transformation in recent months thanks, in part, to shopping guru Mary Portas.
New shops and cafes have opened, a town centre co-ordinator has been appointed, and murals painted – meaning for the first time in a long time there’s a real buzz about the place.
According to the local authority, the rate of empty shops has dropped from 16% to 8% over the past 24 months of the project.
With the funding due to end in autumn 2014, some hope the activities will continue beyond this period, as our report showed.
FISHY GATHERING
Merpeople and a host of other sea creatures swapped their sea legs for more conventional means, for the annual March Of The Mermaids.
The aim was to have a giggle, while raising awareness of marine conservation and the protection of our seas.
We caught (geddit?) the best of the action on our cameras as the creatures processed along the city’s seafront.
And remember, we’ll have lots more of this when Latest TV goes live on August 28.
Stay tuned!
