Agenda item - Items referred from Council

To consider items referred from the last meeting of Full Council held on 20 July 2023

(a)           Petitions

(1)           Re-open the Pavilion Garden Toilets

16.1      The Committee considered a petition referred from Full Council that requested the re-opening of the Pavilion Garden toilets.

16.2      The Chair provided the following response:

“Thank you for your petition.

You will know from our early action on getting toilets reopen that we view these facilities as a priority for our residents and visitors.

I completely share your frustration around the delay with regard to the toilets at the Pavilion Gardens, and let me assure you that this is not due to a lack of will on our part. We need to be able to open the toilets in a way that is safe for both the public and our staff. The concerns around antisocial behaviour – which, by the way, are based on previous incidents including assaults, as well as weapons and needles being found – mean that we can’t risk opening them without a consistent security presence, which is of course very expensive. As you are no doubt aware, the council is currently in a serious financial position and so we need to think creatively.

The latest news is that we asked Royal Pavilion Museums Trust to share some of the responsibility for these toilets in order to help us get them open, but I have heard yesterday that unfortunately they are not able to do so.

We are still actively exploring potential solutions to getting the site reopen.

In the meantime, we have reached an agreement with Brighton Dome and, from October 2nd, members of the public can use the toilets there. 

The signage at the Royal Pavilion Garden toilet will be updated and improved to advise members of the public where the alternative provision is and how to access it. This will be a large, specifically-designed sign on the building, rather than the current signage”.

16.3      Resolved- That the Committee note the petition.

(b)           Flooding at Park Crescent

16.4      The Committee considered a deputation referred from Full Council that requested various actions to combat flooding on Park Crescent.

16.5      The Chair provided the following response:

Thank you for your deputation.

The update I have had from officers is that they now estimate the event that caused the flooding in June this year was a 1 in 100-year event. They inform me that the highways drainage system is capable of handling a 1 in 10-year event, and consequently the system was overwhelmed. However, what is clear is that these extreme events are fast becoming more regular, with what was a 1 in 10 is now happening every couple of years.

I’m told the introduction of more gullies to Elm Grove will not help with such extreme events, as they discharge into the Southern Water sewer, which will also become overwhelmed in such an event.

That said, I’m aware that the June event was not an isolated incident, and that other floods have happened in the area. I know there will be anxiety among residents and so in the immediate term, I have asked for drain clearance to be carried out in the area as a priority.

I do need to just reiterate, as I did at Full Council, that residents should not remove manhole covers, as that risks allowing sewage to spill out on to the street, as well as creating a hazard in the form of an open hole obscured by surface water.

The long-term solution in the area will be found further up Elm Grove by taking water out of the system using a sustainable drainage solution. We also need to take a strategic view of the wider area in order to manage surface water in a way that is resilient to more regular extreme events.

16.6      The Chair moved a motion to request an officer report on the matter.

16.7      Councillor Galvin seconded the motion.

16.8      The Chair put the motion to the vote that carried.

16.9      Resolved- That the Committee receive a report on the matter.