Playing Farm Town In Real Life

Those of you who may have had occasion to check out my Crackbook profile will know that "I only joined so I could play Farm Town". This is true. While Crackbook may be the vehicle of choice for cyber-stalking by jealous ex-lovers, and competitive sadding by the hysterical masses, I genuinely only joined so, erm, I could play Farm Town. Why? Well, I've been on the Allotments Waiting List in Brighton & Hove for nearly six years now, and (as Diana Ross once said) I'm still waiting.

I first got the allotment bug a decade ago when my sister kept a plot just around the corner from her home in the South Manchester Muesli Belt. Her set up was ideal - a utopian exemplar of benevolent Victorian town planning, with a series of terraced cul-de-sacs abutting a field of allotments literally a minute or two's walk away. We spent lots of happy times there together, digging, mulching, planting things, and eventually pulling up tasty veg (not to mention enjoying a glass of wine in the evening sun after our labours). I was hooked*.

Anyway, when I moved back to Brighton in 2004, I immediately put my name down on the waiting list for a plot on a site about five minutes' walk away from home. There are only ten plots on this site, and the list subsequently closed in 2006.

Even though the Council has now taken the sensible decision to halve plots as they become available (thus doubling capacity and making plots more manageable), such is the shortage of allotments in my immediate vicinity (ie walkable within twenty minutes) and the demand for allotments city-wide, I suspect I will have moved house before I get anywhere near the top of the waiting list.

And although I probably could join a shorter waiting list for a site which is not within reasonable walking distance, I'm not interested if it means having to drive to get there - to me, this pretty much defeats the object, and would definitely diminish the pleasure of having my own plot in terms of hassle.

So I'm really not kidding when I say I only signed up to Crackbook** so I could play Farm Town - I know it's a bit donkey eyes***, but I had resigned myself to the fact that being a cyber-food-grower was the closest I was going to get to having my own patch of land for a long time.

With this in mind, you can imagine how ridiculously chuffed and excited I was when I heard late last year that a pilot food-growing garden was going to be set up in my ward, in Preston Park itself. The pilot is one of a number of initiatives set up by Harvest Brighton & Hove, as a joint project being delivered by the B&H Food Partnership and Food Matters, along with several other groups across the city.

Local food growing is a cornerstone Green Party policy, and since 2007 Greens on the Council have been pushing this. Cllr Paul Steedman in particular has done some excellent work via the City Sustainability Partnership, and with reference to Harvest, I was delighted to sponsor BHFP's original (successful!) £0.5m Lottery Food Fund bid, which is now providing funding for the Harvest portfolio of projects that focus on growing, cooking and eating more local food.

The official ground-breaking for the Preston Park demo garden took place yesterday afternoon >>>>>

It was excellent to meet the Harvest team in the flesh (after lots of emails), and I'm really looking forward to checking the work rota tomorrow to see when I can next go along to help out. The plot's been marked out, and now the hard work starts - building raised beds and sorting the fencing out first (sadly security measures will need to be in place to deter vandalism), then the fun bit of prepping the soil and planting the seeds and bulbs.

The beauty and the whole point of the demo garden is that (hopefully) it will show people how easy it is to grow your own food in a very small space - Mr K had speculated that it would be like an allotment in a park, but it's much smaller than that (4msq?), which reflects the fact that many people in B&H have titchy patios or balconies, and it's all about making the best use of the space you've got.

What's also particularly sweet is the evident whole-hearted support of the Tory administration (two of whom were in evidence at the demo garden launch yesterday - wonder where the Preston Park Labour councillors were?): we've come a long way since Greens submitted our response to the Core Strategy in August 2008, when Paul and I were told point blank that local food-growing wasn't a priority for the administration.

Maybe it's a cynical vote-grabbing exercise, maybe it's the zeitgeist - I don't really care as long as we keep making progress on this.

A massive well done to the Harvest team - can't wait to get my hands dirty ;)

* Despite the surfeit of Rainbow Chard one year [*blech*]

** Speaking of Crackbook - this is quality and pure lulz

*** Family expression for something which makes one feel ineffably sad

If you're SAD and you know it clap your hands

Greetings once more, reader(s), after a prolonged absence from the blogosphere. I trust 2010 is treating you well so far, wintry weather notwithstanding.

I must say I find the first couple of months of any new year really hard going (I just want to hibernate) - I know TS Eliot claimed that "April is the cruellest month", but my money's on February every time. [*SAD face*] Roll on Spring.

So - where have I been and what have I been up to? Well...

• The early part of December was utterly consumed by working on amendments to (and negotiations around) the Core Strategy - which resulted in WIN and (hopefully) a more creative, visionary and sustainable future for the built environment in Brighton & Hove.

• Then I went to Girona with Mr K for a week. This was the first proper holiday we'd been able to take together for a very long time, and it was lovely, despite the sub-zero temperatures - to say we were phased watching the Spanish news and seeing Madrid under six inches of snow is an understatement - but it was good mental prep for the "snow and ice chaos" (© The Argus) which greeted us on our return to Blighty.

• It was also a good job I can't speak Spanish (other than the basic niceties) as we were away the week of the Copenhagen Summit, and if I'd been able to follow what was - or perhaps wasn't - going on, it would have cast a cloud over our holibobs proceedings to say the least. I actually shed a tear when I finally got my hands on a Guardian Europe edition the Saturday we were heading back. World Leaders - you fail it. China - you fail hardest. What an epic disappointment and an unbelievable waste of time. I have never felt the call to direct action (and away from electoral politics) more keenly. I will no doubt have more to say on this later on...

• The Christmas and New Year period was mainly spent Up North, before returning to the fray and a shed-load of complaints from residents who were confused and frustrated by the perceived lack of response from the Council to the snow and ice. Things were particularly bad in the hilly parts of the city, which led my Hanover & Elm Grove colleague and Green Group Convenor Cllr Bill Randall to put in a request for urgent scrutiny into the local authority's Winter Plan.

• As a result of Bill's request, there'll now be a public panel hearing about this sometime in March - residents can express their interest in attending by emailing scrutiny@brighton-hove.gov.uk or calling (01273) 291038.

• Since returning from my Yule break, I've been engaged with a wide variety of issues in Preston Park ward, including schools admissions appeals, road safety, planning enforcement, and introducing more recycling facilities at blocks of flats.

• I've also enjoyed continuing to work with the Phoenix Arts Association in progressing their plans to redevelop their building (another very good meeting earlier today, with reps from the Regency Society). And there's LOTS of industry stuff to report back on - it's a bit TL:DR for this post, but in the first instance suffice to say props once more to B&H Planners on their RTPI National award for One Brighton! Excellent work.

• And I've called for a scrutiny report into the city's Open Spaces Strategy, following last year's devastating Planning Appeal decisions which will see unwelcome development on greenfield sites in Preston Park and St Peter's & North Laine wards - I hope to hear whether this will be accepted in the next few weeks.

Last but not least - we are now less than 90 days away from the General Election. A recent ICM poll puts Caroline Lucas in the lead with 35% in Brighton Pavilion. We are on the verge of making the breakthrough to Westminster, but not without Herculean doorstepping efforts in the days and weeks to come.

So if I'm a bit quiet between now and May, you'll forgive me, won't you?

PS Re Baking (sorry BPB) - during B&H SNOWMAGEDDON every corner shop within a half-mile sliding radius was completely sold out of bread. So I decided to make some soda bread (using WWII-rations-alike vinegar 'n' milk as a substitute for buttermilk). Regrettably, I (erm) forgot to add the bicarbonate of soda (I was distracted by the telephone and a gin & tonic). It came out rock-hard and utterly inedible. Moral: don't chat/drink and bake.

More Industry Props for Brighton & Hove Planners

For once, I was delighted to read a Tory press release today:

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Urban study the best in south east

A city-wide study that has analysed the special character of 32 neighbourhoods has been voted the best planning strategy in south east England.

Brighton & Hove’s Urban Characterisation Study was given the regional award by the Royal Town Planning Institute.

The study provides a wealth of information about how various neighbourhoods within the city have developed, including a description and analysis of those qualities that will guide planning decisions on future developments.

Planners will use the study to decide what types of development will best improve and fit in with different areas of the city. The study makes it easier to see the impact a proposed development would have on the individual neighbourhood, as well as the city as a whole. It also provides guidance to developers.

Brighton & Hove’s Urban Characterisation Study has analysed the special character of 32 neighbourhoods, from historic downland settlements and Victorian suburbs to the late 20th century Marina development.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald [who he?], Brighton & Hove’s cabinet member for environment, said: “Other planning authorities have shown a keen interest in our study. Our staff have put in a lot of time and effort and have produced an easy to understand guide describing the make up of the city and the past influences on its development and identity.

“The study highlights areas that could be improved and these will be taken forward through the Local Development Framework which sets out planning policy for future years.”

The study has been written, illustrated and produced in-house by the Design and Conservation Team of City Planning. The methodology has been taken up by other planning authorities, particularly London boroughs and Southampton City Council, as a model for their own studies.

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The Urban Characterisation Study is an excellent and inspiring piece of work, and I'm thrilled that those who've worked on it have received due acclaim. Well done to you all :)

Recent Interesting* Industry Stuff

And so to the Planning Committee once more this afternoon, its inexorable three-week cycle trundling on like some sort of built-environment-based menses.

I actually find this frequency and regularity very reassuring - sod the summer break (when everything at the Council more or less shuts down for a couple of weeks), never mind Christmas and Easter (ditto), nothing short of a nuclear war would prevent this vital piece of local democracy in action from occurring - which is a very good thing, given the fact that the Planning Committee is pretty much the only truly democratic voting forum for elected members remaining under the new arrangements at Brighton & Hove City Council. Hats off (pink, hard or otherwise - no laughing at the back there) to the officers for keeping the show on the road, and to such a punishing schedule.

Anyway, it was a mixed bag this week as usual - no major applications, but a plethora of minors which had been brought before the Committee thanks to calls from ward councillors and residents. The most frustrating application concerned a retrospective permission for Primark on Western Road (which Cllr Jason Kitcat has blogged about as ward cllr in his efforts to support residents in their objections) - not least because Primark's representative from mega property consultants Savills was clearly very inexperienced, very nervous, and, erm, couldn't actually answer any of the Committee's questions properly. Super. Very useful. To my mind this was indicative of Primark's generally dismissive attitude towards residents and the council, and to their responsibilities towards their neighbours as a whole. Sadly my arguments suggesting tougher conditions on deliveries and the service area didn't hold sway.

Still, I always enjoy my time at the Planning Committee even if I don't always agree with the decisions made in the meetings, because I *heart* the built environment (when it's designed properly); and with this in mind I thought I'd share some recent industry stories which have caught my eye:

• Birmingham Library denied Listed status (thanks to an entirely politically motivated decision by the (*ahem*) Culture Minister - see my earlier arguments re Technocracy)

• Tory councils 'less likely to grant planning permission' (o rly?)

• Biodiversity loss is Earth's 'immense and hidden' tragedy (yes - and I am so glad Prof Wilson is sticking his head over the parapet to say this at a time when the economic and climate crises have diverted global attention far, far away from protecting and conserving our natural environment)

• But happily... the TEEB Report calls for more ecosystem markets (a pioneering approach which has resonance with the tireless efforts of our City Ecologist in developing the recent draft SPD on Nature Conservation & Development, due for adoption next year)

• Three London councils win Housing funding freedoms (let's hope B&H are next)

• Taskforce to turn churches over to communities launched (good - *secular face*)

• CABE launches green infrastructure campaign (can somebody tell Cllr Geoffrey Theobald?)

• Brighton planners get industry props for winning Amex office changes (great coverage for officers in amidst recent local media controversies - well done all concerned)

• Woman ranked as one of UK's top Builders (excellent news :D)

and finally... [*Trevor McDonald face*]

• Architecture for Pets (I have not shown this to the guys in case they get jealous and start to form ideas above their station)

By the way, in my quest to locate the pink hard hat pic above, I was simultaneously amazed, amused and astonished (not to mention a little appalled) to discover that there is an entire website devoted to Lady Builders' Tools, Equipment and Accessories. OMG. Anyone for a cerise utility belt? If I ever find gainful employment within the industry again, you can bet I'm going to kit myself *RIGHT* out ;)

* interesting to planning, built environment & design spods, that is... I can hear my sister's voice saying "BARRING" lol

Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?

Just as I was about to switch the crackberry off on Wednesday night, I got an email from the Planning Inspectorate informing me that a recent appeal by a developer seeking to build on former allotment land adjacent to London Road station had been allowed.

I can't begin to say how gutted I am about this. This site has history - as does the developer.

I was approached by the Friends of London Road Allotments (FLORA) in autumn '07, when a previous application to build nine poky flats on this previously undeveloped site (which is an urban haven for wildlife including slow worms) was the subject of a planning appeal by informal hearing. We defended this appeal successfully, and residents and councillors alike started to brace themselves for the next application.

This latest application was for four three-bedroom dwellings. When this was again refused by Local Planning Authority officers, the developer decided to take it all the way to a Public Inquiry - no doubt flushed by the success earlier this year of the Highcroft Villas PI (a site which was also former railway allotments and owned by the same developer [hmm]). He even used the same barrister - one of the top Planning barristers in England & Wales.

All that money. For four tiny houses. At the expense of not only the public purse (the council did their absolute best to defend the refusal and hired an equally top-flight Planning barrister), but also at the expense of the considerable mental, physical and emotional energies of the residents involved with FLORA, and of course to the detriment (to the point of annihilation) of the wildlife on the site, and the fact that this is a much-loved patch of urban greenery in the midst of the city.

This bitterly disappointing decision comes after years of campaigning by FLORA, residents and councillors.

Despite the fact that FLORA amassed a huge body of evidence to demonstrate that the site had been used as allotments and had never been built on, the Planning Inspector still chose to allow the appeal by Kingsbury Estates Ltd.

The Council fought hard against this, but sadly all our efforts weren’t enough to protect this site. Now this urban oasis, which is a haven for slow worms and other wildlife, will be lost forever, and I have profound concerns for the preservation of other cherished open spaces in our city.

The Inspector cited the Highcroft Villas PI and the recent granting of permission for development on a greenfield site at Princes Road as precedents for allowing the London Road station appeal.

This decision comes as Local Planning Authority officers are hard at work on the new Local Development Framework (LDF), which will replace the current Local Plan in 2010. The LDF contains an Open Spaces Study which seeks to protect urban green spaces, whether publically accessible or not.

But now I'm genuinely fearful that the Open Spaces Study will be severely weakened by this latest decision from the Planning Inspectorate, and that it will become virtually impossible for the Council to fight development proposals affecting inner-city green land.

It is deeply depressing to think that all the hard work that officers have put in to developing robust policies to protect urban open spaces has been totally undermined by the Planning Inspectorate. As a city, we are hemmed in by the sea and the South Downs, and these valuable pockets of wildlife habitat are quite rightly much-loved by the residents who live nearby.

Sadly it may now become impossible for us to protect these sites, despite the best efforts of officers, councillors and residents alike. This is a grim day for the Planning system in Brighton & Hove.

Glastonbury Festival: a lesson in town planning?

Oh boy, what a busy week it's been - lots of committee and ward work which I'll try and do an update on in the next few days, as well as local party meetings and campaigning in Goldsmid for the by-election (all pretty punishing in this heat to be honest *wilts*).

My Inbox has been exploding as usual (the London Rd station CPZ is clearly a matter of great concern to residents, and again, more to come on that soon).

As well as receiving emails from residents and council officers, I'm also signed up for daily updates from trade and industry media, and this story from the Planning Blog really caught my eye:

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GLASTONBURY FESTIVAL: A LESSON IN PLANNING

Posted on June 30, 2009 by Mark Wilding

The Glastonbury festival has been and gone. With just a few weeks preparation, the festival site is transformed from bare fields to a veritable metropolis. For the space of a weekend, once bare fields become the site of a large town.

Can you see where I’m going with this?

Assuming the majority of tents are occupied by two people, that’s 75,000 dwellings springing up over the course of a few days. In other words, almost 75 percent of the affordable homes Gordon Brown has pledged to deliver in the next two years. And you don’t get much more affordable than a tent.

All this is achieved without a regional spatial strategy, a core strategy, or any other strategy than making a shed load of money by charging people to live in a field for a weekend.

The most amazing aspect of this phenomenon is that the festival seems to work. Throughout the course of the weekend nobody died, everyone on television appeared to be having fun and if there were any major disasters then they slipped well under the radar.

Infrastructure provision copes, there’s mixed-tenure (see the contrast between the hospitality field and the man who pitched up next to the toilets) and plenty of green energy provision. The perimeter fence means there’s no chance of any urban sprawl.

Having said that, the flood risk planning policy might need a bit of work…

Is it possible that planners have got it all wrong? Maybe people should just be left to get on with it?

Then again, creating a town for three days then leaving while someone else cleans up the mess isn’t exactly ‘sustainable development’…

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This article really struck a chord with me. My colleagues will attest to the fact that I am a bit of a broken record when it comes to holding up the Glastonbury Festival model of a sustainable community as a beacon which local authorities can learn from (particularly when it comes to dealing with waste and recycling).

The general Planning arguments outlined above are very thought-provoking, but one thing's for sure: Glastonbury regularly achieves recycling rates of 50% plus, something which councils in the UK can currently only dream about.

I have been progressing recycling and waste management at events in Brighton & Hove since I was first elected, and the local authority is now seeking to achieve the new British Standard BS8901 (guidelines surrounding sustainability at large-scale events) thanks to Green calls for action on this, but we could learn from the Glasto model for our household and commercial operations too...

Prime-time Drama

I have to confess I've never watched Midsomer Murders. It certainly has its fans (albeit some rather ironically), but it's never appealed to me - too twee, too slow, too - well - middle England (which I gather is its fundamental appeal). When it comes to detective dramas, if it ain't Rebus I ain't interested.

So it's doubly annoying that I've spent most of today in a state of PURE RAGE over this piss-poor excuse for a prime-time television programme.

Word reached me late this morning that there was some drama occurring in King's House over a Midsomer Murders script which had been received by officers with a request to film in Brighton. I won't go into the tedious and convoluted details of the (*ahem*) "storyline", but suffice to say the denouement hinged on bent Green Planning Committee members.

I can't begin to describe how angry I was when I heard this. SO. ANGRY. The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

As the local Green spokesperson for Planning, and our lead member on the Planning Committee, I was virtually exploding with rage at the thought of anyone daring to suggest that Green Brighton & Hove City Councillors could behave corruptly, especially some Soho scriptwriting chump who probably thinks Climate Change is what happens when you turn the aircon on.


Oh boy, was I LIVID. I steamed over to King's House to find out what the f*** was going on. To cut a long story short, I eventually found myself on the phone to one of our lawyers, who told me he'd read the offending script and had promptly sent a very stern email to the Midsomer Murders producers suggesting they cut all mention of Greens from the story.

"I don't think they realise the situation down here", said the lawyer apologetically. "I have now explained to them that the Green Party has a nationally renowned historic association with Brighton & Hove.

"I have also advised them that you're one of the biggest Green Groups on any local authority in the country, and that we have a Green MEP who may well be elected to Westminster next year.

"It could all just be an innocent mistake", the lawyer continued hopefully. "Anyway, I'll let you know what they say on Monday."

Well I'm sorry, but I pulled a big [hmm] face at this. It could be a case of genuine ignorance - after all, prime-time TV drama scriptwriters are probably too busy blowing the froth off their cappuccinos and agonising over which Gucci loafers to wear to pay much attention to provincial local politics. Who can blame them for not knowing that nearly a quarter of Brighton & Hove City Council is made up of Greens?

But the conspiracy theorist in me can't help pondering on the serried mass of luvvies and associate types entrenched within the heart of the New Labour machine...

And I started wondering: are Labour really bricking it that much at the prospect of losing their Brighton Pavilion parliamentary seat to Caroline Lucas that they'd resort to shoehorning a not-very-subtle "GREENS ARE BAD" message into the televisual equivalent of the Daily Mail?

This is a mystery worthy of investigation by DCI Tom Barnaby himself. As it is, I'll have to wait until Monday when I'll hear more from the lawyers before deciding whether or not to really kick off about this (*fumes*).

Woodcuts & Trees

This time last week Mr K & I took a lunch break together, and went along to Brighton University on Grand Parade for some tucker and to view the last day of the end of year degree shows for the Faculty of Arts & Architecture.

Lunch in the canteen was a total bargain at around £2.50 each - I had ricotta tortellini and it was lovely. Highly recommended for cheapness and tastiness, plus ambience - there was a jazz quartet playing in the marquee in the courtyard :)

The shows were great as always - I feel so proud to live in a city with such an amazing art college. Here are a few tasters, from architecture to ceramics:

The textiles were as wonderful as always (sadly no pix as visitors are understandably forbidden from taking photos), but my favourite this year was these wood cuts:

I just love the jolly pussycats' faces :)

Well done and thank you to all the students whose work I enjoyed - sorry I can't credit you (I will try and remember to make a note of people's names next year - it was all a bit whistle-stop this time unfortunately).

The quality and abundance of all this beautiful work made me realise how important it is to keep campaigning for more affordable creative workspace in Brighton & Hove, especially for young artists and makers who are just starting their careers.

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Afterwards, en route to the local party office to stuff some envelopes for the Goldsmid by-election, I passed through the 'Walking Woods', a temporary 700-tree mini-forest in Victoria Gardens, just outside the Sallis Benney building.


Ben Duncan wrote an excellent post about this installation, which was designed by architecture student Lucy Palmer, and partly funded by SEEDA as part of the 'Places from Spaces' project.

‘Places from Spaces’ aims to encourage new design thinking for urban public spaces. By working with students from local universities to create temporary landscaping installatons, the theory is that communities can "test" creative schemes for transforming public spaces, asking "what if?" – what might be possible in reinvigorating our shared places?

What a pleasure for the senses. I was sorry I didn't have more time to just hang out in this wonderful temporary arboretum and enjoy it - but it started to rain and duty was calling.

As I left the Gardens and began to make my way up North Road, I couldn't help pondering the vast ideological chasm between SEEDA's laudable intentions and the local Tories' plans (or lack of) for Victoria Gardens, and the green spaces to the south and north of the site (known collectively as Valley Gardens).

Praise where it's deserved: under the last Labour administration, officers had begun work on radical plans to transform Valley Gardens, reducing car traffic and making pedestrianisation a priority. The car-obsessed Tories have now dropped this like a ton of hot bricks.

More recently, in our response to the Core Strategy for the emerging Local Development Framework, Greens criticised the lack of provision for local food growing within the inner-city, and suggested that parts of Valley Gardens could be used for community food projects. Again, this went down like a cup of cold sick with our Conservative chums.

I wonder if David Cameron knows how short-sighted and blinkered his colleagues are in Brighton & Hove? Vote Blue Get Green my derrière.

Thanks nevertheless to Lucy for a beautiful if temporary glimpse of what the future might hold. What if, indeed?


PS The brown grass in the forefront of this picture is not part of the installation. It's the annual post-Ladyboys of Bangkok witherment... (hmm)

Reasons To Be Cheerful: 1, 2, 3 (or, When Community Campaigning Works)

The past couple of weeks have seen some very encouraging results for community groups who have been campaigning on planning-related matters in Brighton & Hove.

This is cheerful news worth spreading, and a veritable feast of Davids "tekking" Goliaths (as my Yorkshire cousins might say):

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1. ANOTHER LONDON ROAD ~vs~ TESCO

Another London Road (ALR) is a community campaign group originally set up in response to Tesco's proposals to build a megastore with a 950-space car park next to Preston Circus, following a concerted effort by Tesco's (then) property partners St. James Investments to buy up as much land as possible in the London Road area.

Within weeks ALR had built up a Facebook following in its hundreds, swiftly followed up by a petition (signed by over 1,000 people) and a deputation to the Council, objecting to the fait accompli which was seemingly being presented to the community: you want an improved London Road? Only Tesco can deliver (hmm).

Happily, cracks began to show in the long-standing cosy relationship between Tesco and SJI in March this year (no doubt exacerbated by the *current economic climate*), and earlier this month The Argus reported that the London Road deal was off, citing the community opposition voiced by the ALR campaign as a deciding factor in the Tesco pull-out.

ALR are now busying themselves with preparing a response to the Council's draft London Road Masterplan, which is currently out for public consultation, and are set to continue the excellent work they've begun in encouraging the community to take an active part in deciding the future of the area's built environment.

Well done ALR!

And many thanks to Esther Springett for the above image from her 'Myth of London Road' community art project, which recently took place (appropriately enough) in the empty Co-Op department store (photo snapped by me at last week's Brighton Uni Degree Shows).

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2. THE MONTPELIER & CLIFTON HILL ASSOCIATION ~vs~ TAYLOR WIMPEY

When Taylor Wimpey acquired the old Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital site for several million pounds in 2006, the neighbouring community feared the worst - and they were soon proved right.

Far from working to preserve and incorporate the better parts of a greatly altered but nevertheless much-loved local landmark (predominantly designed by local Victorian architect Thomas Lainson), it became increasingly clear that TW were determined to raze the existing buildings to the ground in order to cram as many sub-standard flats onto the site as possible, thereby maximising their profit on a steep investment made at the height of the recent property boom.

The first application was recommended for refusal by Planning officers; the second (barely-altered) submission was not. The Planning Committee (of which I'm a member) voted on both occasions to refuse TW's underwhelming/overcrowding schemes, latterly against the officers' recommendations, which led to a recent appeal from TW by Public Inquiry.

Back in the day, Taylor Wimpey were a leviathan of house-building, beating opponents into submission with the sheer might of their financial resources, and getting crap schemes passed everywhere as a result.

But again, the *current economic climate* has seen TW experience severe financial difficulties in recent months: and in any case, I don't think they were remotely prepared for the robust, expertly-executed case put by representatives of the Montpelier & Clifton Hill Association, who represented residents at the hearing.

The MCHA's defense submissions were commended by Planning Inspector John Papworth, who happily found against the appeal.

[The council also did a grand job in the defence of this, and many thanks must go to Cllr Lynda Hyde (Planning Committee Chairman) for her indefatigable determination in securing the resources to fight this case and win it.]

The Inspector quite rightly noted the "strong affection for the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital as an institution and the values that it stood for", and expressed a clear wish that future proposals might see "some retention of the south façade,as being the part most in the public view, which contributes the most to the area and which [the Inspector] consider[s] could be seen as epitomising the children’s hospital".

Whether Taylor Wimpey choose to take this on board or not is up to them: what's clear is that, unlike the Highcroft Villas decision, Inspector John Papworth really has taken the views of the community on board in throwing this out.

Well done MCHA! Round 3 next.

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3. LEWES ROAD COMMUNITY GARDENERS ~vs~ THE MAN

Hot off the wires - from occupation to negotiation:

Cllr Keith Taylor has worked with the Lewes Road Community Gardeners to secure a temporary memorandum of understanding with the landlords, brokering a deal to protect a community garden set up on derelict space on Lewes Road in Brighton.

Keith, a Green Party councillor for the area, negotiated with owners of the land Alburn Retail Ltd [aka The Man. Ed.], who have agreed the garden can stay until the land is needed for development.

Keith said: “This is a brilliant use of redundant space being converted into a real community asset. Hats off to the Guerrilla Gardeners!

“I am very pleased to have brokered an agreement with the owners of the site Alburn Retail Ltd to enable the garden to continue until the land is needed for development.

“Seeing the results here makes one ask ‘how many other sites are there in the city that could benefit from this treatment?’'"

Fingers crossed that this excellent campaign can continue afoot, and more power to the Lewes Road Community Garden project's collective elbow - well done to all for getting this far, and well done to Keith for his skills in the negotiations with the current landowners!

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Onwards & upwards.

Weekending

Apart from a spot of leafleting in Goldsmid earlier this evening, I am taking it easy this weekend after a rather epic week. The predominant theme was trying to catch up on council work following the Euros. Here's a bit of a round-up:

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On Monday, I had a meeting at the Phoenix with fellow Trustees and senior council officers to discuss plans to refurbish the building.

I've got a soft spot for this modernist landmark, but it's urgently in need of an upgrade and a makeover, not least because there are real problems with solar gain in parts of the building.

RH Partnership are the architects for the project, and they've done an excellent job with the initial design concept:

The design's moved on somewhat since the image above was produced, but this should give you a flavour of the proposals. It's all very exciting, not least because Phoenix are aiming to self-fund the project. I'm hoping pre-application discussions with the Planning officers will happen over the next couple of months.

On Monday evening we had a Group meeting, which included a presentation by CityClean officers regarding the new Waste Strategy for Brighton & Hove. Obviously Greens are always going to be hard to satisfy when it comes to the way in which the city currently manages its refuse and recycling, but there are some surprisingly good proposals in the emerging document.

Sadly nothing as yet regarding taking action on the plastic containers and cutlery used by food retailers on the seafront and throughout the city, but I'm going to keep pushing on this. If we can introduce compulsory biodegradable / compostable vessels and cutlery at events in Brighton & Hove, it will be easier to make the case to local businesses I hope.

And the Supermarket Summit is back on! Apparently.

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Tuesday was devoted to ploughing through my groaning Inbox and dealing with emails, and on Wednesday I had a Planning Committee meeting, preceded by a meeting (wearing my Deputy Convenor hat) with Cllr Brian Oxley in which he outlined his aims as Chair of the Governance Committee over the next municipal year, and asked for feedback from the Green Group on his proposals (guys, if you're reading this, I'll be typing up the notes on Monday).

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On Thursday morning I met with a senior CityParks officer to discuss a request from residents on Preston Park Avenue for an access ramp into the park at the northern-most end of the street. This is an ongoing campaign, and I'll be posting more about this soon.

I had a cultural lunchtime, and then went up to the local party office to stuff envelopes for the Goldsmid campaign with Ben and our friend Alison. After a quick dash home to eat and see Mr K, it was back out for a local party bash at Moksha, to celebrate our success in the Euros.

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP & Cllr Keith Taylor

The lovely Moksha people had made us little cupcakes with green icing :) and a jolly good time was had by all.

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I had meetings throughout Friday morning, with Tourism officers, and then with Planning & Enforcement officers regarding sites adjacent to London Road station. Again, the latter concerns an ongoing campaign, and I'll have more to say on this over coming weeks.

After lunch and a whizz through some emails, it was back to the local party office for yet more envelope stuffing with Jason, Phelim and local party Chair Simon. Four thousand envelopes later, we were finished by 10pm - and retired to the pub.

*phew*

The ongoing saga of Anston House

In a few weeks' time it will be two years since developers bulldozed protected trees on the notorious Anston House site, sparking local outrage.


In October 2007, I presented a petition to the council signed by hundreds of residents, which resulted in the eventual prosecution and fining of the developer earlier this year - the first time Brighton & Hove City Council has taken legal action on the illegal felling of trees covered by Tree Protection Orders.

Conveniently enough, the developer declared himself bankrupt a few days before the case came to the Crown Court (hmm), thus escaping the maximum fine of £20,000 per tree. And now council officers are having difficulty in tracking him down in order to re-serve a Section 215 notice requiring him to tidy the land...

Several residents have contacted me over recent months asking when action is going to be taken to clear the site, and I met with Planning Enforcement officers last week for an update. It seems the s215 notice they served earlier in the year was not officially registered as having been received, so unfortunately the only option is to re-serve it, by hand to the registered company offices.

Once the s215 has been re-served, the landowner will have 8 weeks to clear the site, removing all the rubble, building materials, parked up vehicles etc. If no action is taken by the landowner by the end of this period, the council will employ contractors to clear the site, placing a charge on the land.

I'm disappointed that it's taking so long to get somewhere with this: the site is in a truly shocking state. I'll be asking for an update from officers later in the week to get confirmation of the revised timescales for action on this.


In the current economic climate, in my opinion it's highly unlikely that anything will be built on the site anytime soon... Perhaps we should take a leaf out of the Lewes Road community gardeners' book once the land has been cleared?