Subject: Deputations from members of the public.

Date of meeting: 7 April 2022

A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting of the Council for the hearing of deputations from members of the public. Each deputation may be heard for a maximum of five minutes following which one Member of the council, nominated by the mayor, may speak in response. It shall then be moved by the mayor and voted on without discussion that the spokesperson for the deputation be thanked for attending and its subject matter noted.

Notification of one Deputation has been received. The spokesperson is entitled to speak for 5 minutes.

(1) Deputation concerning Church Road Hove

Spokesperson – Helmut Lusser

Supported by:

1. Sophie Law-Smith, Trustee, Hove Civic

2. Diane Warburton, Convener Living

3. Diane Smith, vice-president Town and Country Planning

4. Lee Saunders, community / business Group, Love George

5. Mike Gibson, Chair Hove Station Neighbourhood

6. Angela Devas, Brighton Active

7. Helmut Lusser, Chair Hove Civic

8. Karin Janzon, Project Director Hove

9. Bob Ryder, Vice-chair Hove Civic Society

Wards affected: All

Councillor Davis / Heley, Co-Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.

Deputation

Request for design improvements to Church Road - for inclusion in PT 5 as an exemplar of sustainable transport solutions in an urban area

We, the undersigned, support Hove Civic Society in their advocacy for a fundamental make-over of Church Road, between Western Road and Sackville Road. We believe there is a big opportunity here to demonstrate how a major thoroughfare should look and function in the age of climate change mitigation, net zero carbon targets, and the growing social, economic and cultural demands for safer, more attractive, inclusive, accessible and pleasurable public spaces. This could also become a catalyst for better area-wide traffic management.

The character of Church Road has gradually changed over the years, from high-street shops to an ever-increasing focus on food and beverage at all times of the day. This provides a natural opportunity to create an attractive new “sense of place” - by integrating pavement, loading and parking areas into high-quality usable spaces, encompassing new street furniture, planting and outdoor seating for the restaurants, bars and coffee houses; and for giving people generally the kind of pleasant spaces where they can meet, socialise and spend time.

With good design and planting, these improvements will transform the existing streetscape into a vibrant place for everyone to enjoy - our “Hove Boulevard”.

Church Road is well served by public transport, but it needs improved pavements and cycling routes. The City Council has therefore designated Church Road as part of an Active Travel Corridor and has also highlighted it as being part of a bus service improvement plan.

We believe these ambitions fit hand-in-glove with the vision being put forward. We therefore consider there is a strong case for the “Hove Boulevard” approach to be included in the next Local Transport Plan (LPT5).

Furthermore, we believe the scheme will fulfil all the strategic objectives of the City Council’s emerging Local Transport Plan Strategy:

· a sustainable, strong and fair economy

· safe, healthy and welcoming streets and neighbourhoods

· an accessible city with a transport network that everyone can use

· improved air quality to safeguard the health of our communities

· reduced carbon emissions to protect our global environment

· travel that respects our local environment

We have been advised that a scheme can only be included in the LTP if it has been designed and costed. This can make sense, not least if government funding becomes available at short notice. So, we are now seeking to secure funding for the design of the scheme and are asking the City Council to make funds available for that work - for example, from S106 funds earmarked for sustainable transport and/or public realm improvements, or from general sustainability improvement funds.

The scheme has so far secured strong support from local ward councillors, as well as our MP, Peter Kyle. It is also supported by the community/business group “Love George Street”, with more discussions being planned with local business groups, residents’ associations and the Brighton & Hove Bus company, to widen support for the concept across a whole range of stakeholders.

But it is clear there is already strong support for the scheme, and we believe it chimes well with the Council’s zero carbon and sustainable transport agenda. We therefore ask the Council to support the proposal to secure funding for the design of the scheme.

Some illustrative approaches

Example - the junction with George Street, going eastwards

Example - potential improvements to space around Hove Town Hall and the junction with Fourth Avenue

(2) Deputation concerning Pedestrian Crossing, West Blatchington Primary

Spokesperson – Tim Hodges

Supported by:

G Denny

Susan Tickler

Lauren Olosunde,

Hazera Chowdhury,

Stuart Everard, School Bungalow

Sally Walker

Mark D-S

Jamie Attree

Wards affected: All

Councillor Davis / Heley, Co-Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.

Deputation

This deputation is necessitated by the ongoing concerns raised by parents, staff and governors (of which I am one) in relation to the current lack of an adequate crossing to assist students of West Blatchington Primary and nursery school and what appears to be the council’s lack of knowledge in relation to the local and geographical position of the school.
Many years ago as I am indigenous to the area (that is born and bred in Brighton & Hove) I attended the school, which was then classed as being in Amberley Drive, Hove.

However, the school, although rebuilt, and still on the same site, but now is classed more appropriately as being situated Hangleton Way (Hove).

As it has been for many years Hangleton Way is a very busy thoroughfare and is subject to bus services that proceed clockwise and anti-clockwise past the school at least every 7 minutes. Subsequently, a substantial crossing facility is required to enable school aged children of under 11 years to cross confidentially, thus also enhancing their road safety skills.

Various other road users who need to circumnavigate Hangleton, also use this part of Hangleton Way. Traffic is constant past the school building, throughout the school day.

The current arrangements of a red painted intervention across the road is not acknowledged or understood by a majority of road users, is woefully inadequate and fading fast.

The electronic signs that were appointed to Amberley Drive fail to work efficiently and do not provide adequate warning that children need to cross. Additional signs and a much more importantly, a zebra crossing must be installed at the junction with Hardwick Road immediately, to prevent the risk of accidents and reduce apprehension.

The installation of a substantial, visible and easily recognisable crossing is now vital and the situation can no longer be ignored Previous suggestions to remedy the problem are no longer relevant and have quite frankly not significantly addressed the problem adequately. Nor as previously mentioned, do they appear to have adequately considered the school’s geographical position.

The school is an established mainstream school; it was opened on the very outskirts of Hove in 1954, in conjunction with the development of Hangleton as an estate.

West Blatchington also has a specialist autism unit that has a superb reputation within Brighton & Hove and is indeed so well received, that the school is now to run this independently.

With this additional responsibility in mind, it is so imperative that children of all ages and abilities that attend the school, have their road safety education enhanced, by a crossing system we can all trust.

Teaching road safety I am sure you will all agree, is of paramount importance, but the necessary tools must be in place to facilitate this.

Consequently the installation of a substantial crossing similar to a zebra crossing or at the very least a refuge style crossing, is absolutely critical to the continued well being of those who attend the school and must be immediate.

We ask the relevant Councillors to sanction this prior to the conclusion of the summer term.