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PCA committee meeting

The next PCA committee meeting will be on Tuesday 7 September at 8pm. Please phone Martin Moore, 500995, if you’d like to come along. If there’s anything you’d like discussed, please post it as a comment here, or mention it to Martin.

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By marekkohn
September 2, 2010

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ANSTON HOUSE PETITION

The PCA became involved with this derelict site over 2 years ago when residents in Dyke Rd Drive reported the illegal felling of a large number of mature trees. The developers were eventually prosecuted but went bankrupt rather than pay the large fine. Sadly the trees can’t be returned & the site remains more of an eyesore than ever.

 Preston Park Green councillor Amy Kennedy has launched an online petition on behalf of local residents, calling for the Anston House site near Preston Park to be secured under a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) by the council. The Order would allow for the council to take ownership of the site in order to return it to use.  The site has been derelict for over two decades.

 Cllr Kennedy commented: “For some time now, local residents have been asking when the council is going to use its powers to ensure something positive is finally done with this eyesore.  They are tired of dealing with the anti-social behaviour that this site, dubbed ‘the ugliest building in Sussex’, attracts to the area.  

“We are aware that there has been uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the site since the previous landowner went bankrupt rather than pay fines totalling tens of thousands of pounds for the illegal felling of protected trees after a benchmark prosecution by the council.

 “There has been significant and commendable effort from officers in negotiating and exploring every option to try to make the landowner restore this site to public/commercial use without success.  We now feel all avenues have been exhausted.

“The potential cost to the tax payer of funding such a purchase means that a CPO is very much the route of last resort, but we feel that regrettably this is the point at which we find ourselves.

 “Local residents feel very strongly that this site should be used to provide affordable homes, affordable workspace, and community facilities, including much-needed meeting space.  Such a development would bring huge benefit to the local community, providing much-needed jobs and homes.”

 The call for a CPO has already been supported by the Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership.  The petition runs until the end of November, and Cllr Kennedy hopes to secure the 1,250 signatures needed to secure a debate at the Full Council meeting on the 16th December.

 The petition can be found on the Brighton & Hove City Council website here: http://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?ID=166&RPID=538228

 For further information, please contact: Cllr Amy Kennedy 07899 758911, Lianne de Mello (Political Assistant to the Green Group) 01273 291165, 07876 476 099

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By Martin Moore
August 22, 2010

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Picnic in Preston Park and Local Food Week events

Photo by Sue Craske

Harvest vegetable garden in Preston Park

We thought local residents in Prestonville might be interested in these events – Jess, Harvest Manager, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership

September’s Brighton & Hove Food & Drink Festival will be celebrating the huge range of international flavours in our city, including visits from top celebrity chefs such as Madhur Jaffrey and Anthony Bourdain. But for one week of the festival, the main attraction is a bit closer to home – Local Food Week is all about home-grown produce from our local allotments and gardens, and the delicious variety of foods produced nearby in Sussex, from cheese to chutney to champagne!

Local Food Week, 20-26 September 2010

The first annual week of events to celebrate local food in Brighton & Hove! Events will include a film screening, photography exhibit, foodie quiz, special local food menus at Brighton restaurants, Apple Day at Stanmer Park, Weald Allotment open day and more. Harvest will also be announcing the winner of our ‘Grow It’ edible plant competition for local businesses. Read more about Local Food Week.

Harvest’s Local Food Picnic, on the lawn behind the Rotunda Cafe, Preston Park, Brighton

Saturday 25 September, 11am-4pm

Everyone is invited to join in at an event where you can swap excess crops, watch cookery demonstrations, try local produce and take part in fun activities about food! Kindly sponsored by Infinity Foods. Read more about the picnic.

For more details about Local Food Week or the picnic event, please go to www.harvest-bh.org.uk/events or contact the Food Partnership on: 01273 431 700 or harvest@bhfood.org.uk.

Find out about the full range of events during this year’s Food Festival at: www.brightonfoodfestival.co.uk.

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By Jess-Harvest
August 9, 2010

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New vicar for St. Luke’s

My name is Martin Poole and I am the new vicar of St Luke’s Prestonville and thought it might be a good idea to introduce myself to the community through this blog.

This is my first post as a full time vicar although I’ve been a priest for 23 years helping out with various churches in my spare time while working in television as my day job. I also run an arts and spirituality group called Beyond which organises events such as the Beach Hut Advent Calendar along the seafront every December.

Although I’m new to the Prestonville area I know the city very well as we’ve lived in Hove since 1999, but now we’re living in the vicarage right next door to the church so it should be easy to find me if you fancy a chat or want to see if the vicar really does want more tea!  My wife Sally and our three grown up children are here as well and we’re all looking forward to getting to know the area better and meeting and making new friends.

I know most people associate the word church with the building on the Old Shoreham road but actually it’s about the people who meet in it and are associated with it. I am getting to know the church members who attend on Sundays and throughout the week and I’m hoping to get to know many more people in the area as I learn about this community and your needs and wishes. The Prestonville Community Association is an important part of that and it was great to meet some members at our joint picnic on Sunday, I value this group as a forum to exchange news and ideas. Equally I know that community buildings, and in particular the church hall in Exeter street, are hot topics for people in this area and I’m very interested to hear any opinions you may have on these or any other issues that are of concern to you.

I can be contacted through the church phone number on 557772 or you can email me at martin@stlukesonline.co.uk – I look forward to hearing from you.

Revd. Martin Poole

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By MartinPoole
July 21, 2010

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New England Greenway – Still Going Nowhere?

The Greenway path runs from Jurys Inn along to New England Road. It will eventually link all the way to Brighton Station.

The Greenway path, planned to run from the New England railway bridges to Brighton Station, is green, pleasant, and still blocked off at the northern end. We asked if we could have a look at it, and the Council gave the PCA a tour.

We found an attractive and thoughtfully designed passage running between the pillars that used to support the old engine works. With vines planted along the walls, giant sculptures of tools on the pillars recalling the site’s industrial past, places to sit among an elegant mixture of wild and garden plants, it has a natural and human quality that contrasts with much of the rest of the New England Quarter.

So why isn’t it open? The planting was ready months ago – last year we were told we could expect to be able to use it in late summer or autumn. But the Council has not yet managed to reach agreement with Network Rail, which owns the land at the northern end.

Over the past week new fences and some formidable spikes have gone up between the railway bridges, which may be a sign that things are moving at last. But meanwhile the Council is taking advice from its lawyers, and considering court action against Network Rail.

More photos can be seen on our Facebook page.

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By webmaster
July 21, 2010

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Picnic in Dyke Road Park

Church and PCA members enjoy the fine weather at the community picnic in the park on Sunday July 18th.

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By Di Langford
July 18, 2010

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Lewes Rd. Community Gdn.

I know it’s outside of our patch but the following message from Another London Road may be of interest:

Things are still quiet on the Tesco front in London Road, but, as you may have heard, not so quiet in the Lewes Road! The Tesco they want to build is smaller than the one mooted for London Road, but it is on the site of the beautiful Community Garden, and in any case it would be one Tesco too many wherever it was!   ALR fully suports “Say No to Tesco on Lewes Road” and the Lewes Road Community Garden. Following a court case, the gardeners have now agreed to leave, and would be grateful for any help you can give them in getting the plants out – just go along to the garden from 10.00 am on Thursday, Friday or Saturday this week or ring Cathy Marchand on 07972-804640 for more details. And do try to get along there on Monday afternoon at 3.30 pm when the keys will be formally handed over and the gardeners would appreciate a big show of support.   Finally, Say No To Tesco is campaigning for a boycott of the new Tesco when it opens. Please give that campaign your support. There is a very good Co-Op right next door, and it will need support to fight off the competition

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By Martin Moore
June 24, 2010

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Open Photography Competition

I thought I’d draw your attention to a rather nice website, created by graphic designer Peter Pavement, onto which you can upload your photographs of Brighton, at the appropriate point on a map of the city. http://www.snapshotbrighton.co.uk/

And, of course, you can view the photos other people have uploaded.

The site will remain open until the Brighton Photography Biennale in October.

Jannet

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By JannetKing
June 18, 2010

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Tesco Express now takes old batteries for recycling.

Battery collection point

Tesco Express, on Dyke Road, has joined the Batteryback scheme and now has a battery recycle bin next to the checkouts. There are other recycle points in Brighton (click here for a map) but this is the only one in Prestonville at the moment. Unless you know otherwise……

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By petergolton
June 2, 2010

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Run Free on Saturday 29th May 2010

Saturday morning, Hove Park at 9am.

This Saturday morning at 9am  in Hove Park, the organisers of Parkrun are having a celebration and you are invited.

You don’t have to be an experienced runner and you don’t have to run the whole way so why not come along and do as much running as you like around the 5k circuit.

It is totally free but you need to register if you’d like to have your time recorded.

For more information, visit the Parkrun website.

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By petergolton
May 27, 2010

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