THE KINGSCLIFFE SOCIETY
ANNUAL REPORT
1 March 2006 - end February 2007
As ever, the year under review has been an
active one for our Society, with the Newsletter
being the major means of keeping members in touch with
happenings. (The Newsletter is, too, circulated to other societies in Brighton &
Hove as well as to selected councillors and council officers). The following is
just a sample of the many matters with which we were/are involved.
The Council is very busy
working on the formulation of a Local
Development Framework, a system that, by government decree, will
replace Local Plans. Various draft documents were put out for consultation
during the past year and we were pleased to be able to comment on them. Our
Secretary and Robert Edwards undertook the bulk of that work. Such involvement is essential, as the various
documents comprising the LDF will crucially impact on all of us. Currently
we have concerns about a recently issued Barker report on planning (government
commissioned) with fears, shared by other associations, that some of the
proposals could increase the power of developers to the detriment of
residential interests.
Alongside the formulation
of policy, referred to above, we have continued to keep an eye on individual planning applications in our area, commenting
as needed. We were part of the consortium that put up such a well-researched
case against the Brighton
Marina development, alas finally to no avail. No application in respect of development at
the Black Rock was considered in the past year. Although out of our area, proposals
for use of the site could impinge adversely on East Cliff if, as originally
mooted, a major public venue, catering for many thousands of people, is built
without adequate parking facilities. The Council’s Black Rock Advisory Group, on
which two Kingscliffe members sat, seems to have become a dead duck.
Input into planning
applications affecting conservation areas has continued through our membership
of the Council’s Conservation Advisory
Group (CAG). Eike Herold,
with Robert Edwards as deputy, ably represent us on CAG.
In line with many
representations from residents, we voiced strong disquiet at proposals to pedestrianise
St. James’s Street. Seemingly,
the idea came from a small group of traders and has not received any official
endorsement. Hopefully this issue has
now been laid to rest, given that the Street bears no relation whatsoever to
other pedestrianised areas of the city and that so many people who use and/or
live in our district shopping centre would be disadvantaged if the proposal was
effected. Incidentally, in respect of the street, at the suggestion of the
Council your secretary participated in a day long Appeal hearing at which the
Council’s decision to refuse a planning application that would have weakened
the retail element in St. James’s Street was successfully upheld.
For the
second year running we held an informal Saturday morning meeting with ward councillors and are pleased that
5 of our 6 councillors accepted our invitation to meet us. Both councillors and members agree that this
is a very useful exercise and we now look forward to it as an annual event. Contact is maintained with councillors over a
range of issues and that exchange, even when differing views on an issue are
held, is much appreciated. Similarly, we
value constructive working with council officials
As a
consequence of the new Licensing Act
applications for increased hours of operation in our area have continued, although
the volume is greatly reduced compared with the initial rush. We have been
pleased actively to support residents in defeating some applications where the
hours being sought would have been extremely detrimental to their well-being. Your Secretary and Trevor Scoble have undertaken input at
relevant hearings. The Society continues in membership of the national group
set up by The Civic Trust & Institute of Alcohol Studies to influence/monitor
licensing matters and, locally, of the Council’s Licensing Strategy Group. Roger
Rolfe represents us on both those bodies. Government guidance on implementation
of the Act is currently being reviewed and we have commented. The Council is revising its local policy this
year and a submission from the Society will be made. (The Newsletter will keep
members up to date about this.)
Our
perspective on a variety of matters relating to environmental well-being is
broadened by our links with other
organisations. For
example, we are members of The Brighton Society, The Civic Trust, the South
Downs Campaign (for a National Park) the Volk’s Electric Railway Association
and, last but not least, the Network of Residents’ Associations (NoRA), a
national group that in a short space of time has established itself as a
respected voice on behalf of residents on a variety of amenity issues. Via NoRA
many of our views reach government level as the organisation quickly became
accepted as a consultee body by departments that are key to our sphere of
interest.
During the year Vivian Carter and Jean Penney organised various
enjoyable social events –
talks, coach outings, a luncheon and annual dinner. Anne Johnson has been an
invaluable helper on most of those occasions. The events provided very congenial
opportunities for socialising and enjoying ourselves – in addition to the
knowledge gained from speakers and visits to places of historic interest. We
are also indebted to Nicholas Worth for much assistance with fund-raising.
This is an opportunity to thank members of the Kingscliffe Committee who have kept the
Society alive and well during the past year. They have undertaken work over and
above attendance at committee meetings and their loyalty to the society is
marked. The names of those who have served on the committee during the past
year (and many of them for several years before that!) are given at the end of
this report. Every member of the committee has contributed through applying his
or her knowledge of issues affecting our area.
However, we have now lost Roland Wallis and Jonathon MacFarlane, who
have moved away, and we
are in very great need of more people to come forward to play a part in the
Society’s work. Please
don’t hesitate to offer your services. The
work of the Society is being carried by relatively few, especially compared
with the size of our membership, and that situation needs to change if we are
not to weaken with the passage of time. Please think seriously how you might be
able to help and contact the secretary or a committee member.
I must make mention of committee member, June Evans, who has been
our membership secretary for the past 8 years or so. She
has now relinquished that post although, happily, remains a member of the
committee. We record our warmest thanks to June, and her husband Bernard, for
their hard work with membership matters over the years. Their contribution has
been considerable. At the same time we thank Sue Finch, who has taken over
this important post.
Although not on the committee we thank, too,
David Botibol who during the year - in response to a plea in the Newsletter - took
over responsibility for our website (www.kingscliffe-society.org.uk).
David is a most pro-active and efficient web
officer and we are grateful to him for the developments he has
achieved. Gregory Nelson, from whom
David took over, was his usual helpful self in the handover process and
continues to give assistance in other ways when needed.
Finally, warm appreciation goes to every
member of the Society for without your support we could not continue our
efforts to safeguard and enhance our conservation area. We may not have accomplished all we hoped for
in the past year, but there have been many achievements and, with your help, we
look forward to another year of action and, hopefully, successes, on behalf of
our community.
Roy Davis
Chairman
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Kingscliffe Society Committee at end February 2007
Vivienne
Carter, Roy Davis (Chair), Robert Edwards, June Evans, Sue Finch, Derek Granger
(President), Eike Herold, Anne Johnson, Jonathon MacFarlane, Jean Penney (Treasurer),
Jane Pritchard, Henry Steinhardt, Janie Thomas (Secretary), Roland Wallis