The Round Hill Society
The home site of the Round Hill Society, a community group of the residents of Round Hill in Brighton, England. The site contains information about the area, latest news and reflections on life in Round Hill.
Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Round Hill Society. Check out the new page dedicated to Arts | Music | Theatre | Cinema with links to the websites of local places of entertainment and relevant interest groups.Our Local Tradespeople page also contains a large store of useful information for residents whose concerns are closer to home.
Stop Carelet's appeal against refusal
Comments to Appeal Inspector by Wed. 11 August 2010
Hope for the once picturesque greenfield site now depends on defending The Council's 3 reasons for refusing Carelet's proposal for 6 three-storey houses which would be located much nearer than any existing homes to The Waste Transfer Station if the appeal is upheld. A group of Round Hill residents has been active in preparing A Community Parking Survey to demonstrate that planning application BH2010/00083 considerably overestimates the availability of on-street parking in the Princes Road area.
Please comment online or by post
The site behind Princes Road pictured in 2003 before Carelet bought it and in June 2005 after the developer's site clearance
The site acts as a buffer-zone between the built-area of Round Hill and two industrial zones. With the current nuisance of noise, odour and dust from The Waste Transfer Station, there is more reason than ever before to protect and enhance this site through re-planting. Existing homes are not adequately screened from Hollingdean Depot. Carelet's noise barrier would expose new residents to much greater levels of nuisance. Go to our Planning Page for further background to Carelet's 2010 proposal, which the Planning Committee refused by 8 votes (AGAINST) to 2 votes (FOR).
The grounds for refusing Carelet's 2010 proposal are:
1) Failure to meet travel demand (parking)
2) Over development
3) Detrimental Impact on future occupiers due to the proximity to the Hollingdean depot.
The Coalition promises Councils new powers to stop garden grabbing - review the new programme for government and read why garden grabbing makes it more difficult for those in need of “affordable homes” to get on the housing ladder. Will the Council's Planning Committee take note when there are future proposals to chop up and cram settled neighbourhoods which are already densely populated and not designated in the city's Core Strategy as development areas?
Pollution from The Dump
Troubled by noise, odour or dust from The Waste Transfer Station? - Residents living in Princes Road continue to suffer pollution (June 2010). Technology exists to reduce unreasonable and unacceptable levels of odour. Does Veolia use it? Do not suffer in silence or current levels of pollution could become the norm if the Environment Agency hears nothing from you. File a Waste Watch Report each time.
Local events and activities
CMP music and literary festival
Our neighbours in Clifton, Montpelier, Powys are underway with their fourth music and literary festival. Two weeks of events are taking place at two historic Brighton churches.
Regular listings:
1. The Duke of York's Picture House
2. Coachwerks, Hollingdean
3. Brighton & Hove Arts Diary
4. Sussex Concerts
5. East Sussex CC: Music, Art & Cultural Events
6. Prince Regent Swimming Complex Pools Programme
Aged 16 or under or over 60: Free Swimming
Tuesday 27th July, 1.10pm-1.55pm - Horia Vacarescu (vln) Chiho Tsanakawa (pno) Beethoven 'Kreutzer'
Thursday 29th July, 1pm - Mary Reid harp.
Thursday 29th July 8pm - Folk Music (upstairs) at The Royal Oak Pub, Station Street Lewes (Take the 7.43pm train from London Road Station) * Free Admission * END OF SEASON OPEN NIGHT.
Friday 6th August, 7.30pm at St Luke's Church. Tre Corde Piano Trio consisting of well known local musicians, Ellie Blackshaw (violin), Julian Ogilvie (cello) and Margaret Copestake (piano) will perform trios by Beethoven, Haydn, Bridge and Shostakovich.
Saturday 7th August 10am to 1pm - Friends of Hollingbury and Burstead Woods - North Hedge weeding and trimming. New Glade -clear round Hazel.
Walkers: click here for easy access trail. Click here to learn about Hollingbury Hillfort.
Sat 9th October 7.30pm St Bartholomew's Brighton, Ann Street, just off the London Road (A23) opposite Boots.
Glinka - Overture - 'Russlan and Ludmilla'
Mendelssohn - Violin Concerto Op.64
Mahler - Symphony No 1 in D major - 'The Titan'
Soloist : Ben Baker. Conductor : Mark Andrew James. Tickets £18, £12 available from Dome Box Office 01273 709709
Learn a musical instrument - since the time of the Prince Regent, Brighton has gained a reputation for music teaching and performance. The abundance of teachers in our city means that it is easy to find help in learning an instrument.
Local Artists' Open Houses - a list of the individual websites of local artists who participate in events such as Brighton's Fringe Festival.
Events during July at Coachwerks Community Cafe, 19 Hollingdean Terrace, BN1 7HB
By-election result
Greens retain St Peter's and North Laine seat
Lizzie Deane (Green) - 1,816 votes
Tom French (Lab) - 880
Rob Buckwell (Con) – 365
Trefor Hunter (Lib Dem) - 103
Gerald O'Brien - 32
Greens retain seat See what the three leading candidates said:
Tom French, the Labour and Co-operative candidate in the council by-election on Thursday 8 July is next to answer our questions about Round Hill. Lizzie Deane's responses for the Greens and
Rob Buckwell's answers on behalf of the Conservatives are on the same page.
The by-election is in the city centre ward of St Peters & North Laine, which includes Round Hill. This follows Keith Taylor's resignation of his seat to take up his new role as a Member of the European Parliament for the Southeast. The by-election provided the most recent chance to question candidates wishing to represent Round Hill politically on issues such as pollution from Hollingdean Depot and attempts to cram unsuitably located development onto green urban space in Round Hill.
Other News
7 day 24 hour Alcohol Licence Application Malthurst Services Ltd, located at the BP Garage in Ditchling Road between Red, White & Rosé and The Downs Infants School, were granted a licence to sell alcohol but not for 24 hours.
Advertising Display Application Primesight Ltd at Downs Filling Station, 134 Ditchling Road Brighton, is applying retrospectively for permission for their illuminated pole displaying advertising. The pole has already been installed within the BP filling station located between Red, White and Rosé and The Downs Infant School. Comments can be made (as soon as possible to meet the deadline) via The Council's Planning Register.
Conversion of Marcia's Haidressers to residential has now been completed. This new home at pavement level is located on four bus routes (26 46 50 79) and close to Shakti Stores and The Round Hill public house. Bay window alignment at ground floor level has presented a difficult challenge. This is not the first "shop" to "residential" conversion in the area!
The Victoria Pub has been tastefully converted into two town houses which are now up for sale. The three bedroomed house is at the Richmond Road end of the property with a smaller semi-detached house in Mayo Road. The two-bedroomed house has a small amenity space in the area which was previously the beer garden attached to the pub. Part of this area has been reserved for cycle and bin stores. Railings have been crafted by a Worthing-based company ( The Handrail People Ltd).
A New Hand-rail has been installed at the junction (SE) of Ditchling Road and Princes Road. The handrail was requested by a 94-year-old resident living in Princes Road.
During the recent icy spells, hundreds of patients came through the accident and emergency departments of local hospitals with broken hips, ankles, wrists and legs caused by slips and falls on ungritted pavements and roads. We are grateful to The Council for acting quickly to meet the needs of safe pedestrian access.
5-storey residential development on the former Esso Petrol Filling Station Hollingdean Road Brighton (Proposal BH2010/00498) has now been approved: 6 in favour, 2 against and 2 abstentions.
COMMENT: Affordable does not mean Sustainable. Who said what? - Minutes of the Planning Committee Meeting (Agenda 14C)
Adult Education
Courses at The Friends' Centre
Local walks
See our page of unguided, guided, longer and shorter walks and related outdoor pursuits.
Events Page - Walks: from The Argus: a quick summary of forthcoming guided walks.
Round Hill Walks: two downland circuits (bus and on foot) starting and finishing in Round Hill.
Local food production & gardening
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership -Training courses for growers, tips (PDF downloads) for gardeners, volunteering roles in community projects RE local food production, eating healthily & sustainable growing.
Harvest Brighton and Hove - listings:
1) Farmers' Markets
2) Food Events
3) Training
4) Volunteer Days
Brighton Permaculture Trust - Brighton Permaculture Trust have published their schedule of events and courses for the year and are taking bookings. Details at www.brightonpermaculture.org.uk.
Been waiting years on allotment waiting lists? Ever seen an unused garden or plot of land and wished you could grow your own food there? Or do you have a garden or area of land on which you'd love to see food grown? If you live in Brighton & Hove, Grow Your Neighbour's Own wants to help remedy the situation.
See also:
1) The Friends Centre's ONE PLANET LEARNING environmental awareness and sustainable living courses (pdf brochure)
2) Seedy Sunday : the UK's biggest community seed swop. Click here for the Event's history
3) Brighton and Hove Organic Gardening Group's Events.
Wildlife Review
City Wildlife Review of 2009 by Matthew Thomas, Brighton and Hove City Council's ecologist, with a preview of events for 2010.
More Planning
Stanmer conservation area consultation - closes Friday 4th Feb. Learn more about the village by reading the 30-page PDF Stanmer Conservation Area Appraisal.
Waste and Minerals Development Framework East Sussex and Brighton & Hove 's Public Consultation on Preferred Strategy ended on Monday 25 January 2010 (comments to be received by 5pm). See the consultation response of Brighton's Friends of The Earth.
Ashdown Road decision - The Planning Committee granted the application to build two extra houses and convert the single existing dwelling into 3 units of accommodation on Wednesday 16th December by 8 votes to 2 with two abstentions.full deliberations will be recorded in The Minutes of the Planning Committee Meeting. Click here and scroll to page 9 for relevant part of those Minutes.
Street Lamps Saga - a "not so short" history of enlightenment.
Results of London Rd consultation
View the Transcripts of Public Responses to the Draft London Road Central Masterplan and the Public Consultation Report: summary of responses. Review the Masterplan
SHOPS IN LONDON ROAD BRIGHTON full 2009 listing of (west side: 1 to 74) & (east side: 75 to 144) with links to their history (annotated photos from The James Gray Collection).
Link to external website showing street plans of the shops and buildings in London Road in 2001, 1969, 1951 and 1920.
What in the London Road area is worth protecting? See www.prestoncircus.co.uk for a look round.
Freedom of Information requests
Go to www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/composition_terms_of_reference_a to see an example of a Freedom of Information request.
Go to www.whatdotheyknow.com/body/brighton_hove_council to see requests directed to Brighton and Hove City Council and to read your Local Authority's responses to them.
You can use www.whatdotheyknow.com to make your own requests to public authorities under the Freedom of Information Act. By law, they have to respond.
You can also read responses to other people's requests, which may answer a particular question or satisfy a need for greater insight into the workings of a public authority.
Other news
[General Election Results for Brighton Pavilion].
Round Hill carol singing raises over £200 for charity.
Thank you to everyone who joined the carol singing circuit on Tuesday 15 December 6.30pm and the many generous residents of Round Hill who helped us raise proceeds for the Multiple Sclerosis society.
Severe Weather Update
Grit bins and gritting priorities - Is your street being gritted? Where is your nearest grit bin? What are the Council's priorities? Locations of grit-bins in Brighton and Hove. Read the Council's Severe Weather Update Page in full.
Quick links
Links to some other recent stories, events or useful pages.
This page was last updated by Ted on 26-Jul-2010