Planning chiefs are being urged to protect a historic property on Hove seafront.
A petition highlighted neglect and damage to Medina House in King’s Esplanade since the building was bought by architect and developer Sirus Taghan.
Valerie Paynter, of the Save Hove conservation group, presented the petition to Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Wednesday 8 August).
The petition, signed by 321 people in total, including 183 online, called for a planning brief to be prepared urgently to set out the ground rules for any development on the site.
She told the committee: “Medina House was sold to Sirus Taghan some 14 years ago and while one planning consent for low-rise redevelopment was gained, it was never used.
“Since then a succession of schemes and applications for tall and very tall buildings have come and gone, alongside part demolition, squatters and squalor.
“Indeed, just to achieve a tidy site, (an) enforcement notice has had to be served on it.
“We think the time has come to ask you for a planning brief to spell out the constraints and opportunities that this building and site present and which must be taken into account when preparing planning applications for it.
“Within a planning brief, we ask that height restriction be spelt out to protect the tiny, historic Sussex Road and Victoria Cottages behind it.
“And most of all that first preference be given to car-free restoration and reuse of this historic, socially important saltwater bathhouse – the last of its kind remaining that we are aware of.
“Save Hove’s e-petition went online on (Friday) 13 July and attracted 183 signatories in its short 12-day life.
“King’s Esplanade residents collected signatures and the petition was lodged at a Victoria Terrace bakery and hairdresser’s shop.
“Sadly, two petitions were stolen – one from the bakery and the other from Benham Court’s noticeboard, put there after 15 people had already signed it.
“Those signing the petition include Hove’s MP, Mike Weatherley, Councillor Andrew Wealls, architects Andy Parsons and Geoffrey Baker, retired planning officers Sue Moffatt and Hazel McKay as well as a couple of developers.
“Support from people like that hopefully helps persuade this council of the merit of our petition request.”
Another of the 321 signatories was Roy Pennington, a former deputy chairman of the planning committee.
The committee noted the petition but did not say whether a planning brief would be drawn up.
WTF is the planning committee there to do? I pay an inordinate amount of council tax, yet they don’t achieve anything to preserve heritage..
The Chair of the Planning Committe, Cllr Christopher Hawtree, replying to the petition on behalf of the Planning Committee, had three choices of response according to the Agenda paperwork:
“…noting it or writing to the petition organiser setting out the Council’s views, or where it is considered more appropriate, calls for an officer report on the matter which may give consideration to a range of options, including the following:
– taking the action requested in the petition
– considering the petition at a council meeting
– holding an enquiry into the matter
– undertaking research into the matter
– holding a public meeting
– holding a consultation
– holding a meeting with petitioners
– referring the petition for consideration by the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee
– calling a referendum”
Quite some choice of response, as one can see from this quoted excerpt. Cllr Hawtree chose merely to note receipt of the petition and leave us hanging.
Did he speak for the whole committee, just himself or on (poor) advice from an officer in merely noting receipt of the petition? According to the Agenda item 42 (a),prepared in the name of or by the Strategic Director, Resources, which gave the above choices, under ‘Recommendations’ it is “…the Committee…” that responds to the petition.
Wondering if they realise that, were asked how they wanted to respond, and are happy about how the Chair DID respond. Certainly an attempt by Cllr Carol Theobald to be given a chance to see the pre-King Alfred era photo we used in the presentation was not welcomed by the Chair….and her request was stifled as he swiftly moved on to presentation of the next petition, leaving us to wonder how he was meant to take our petition from us, there being a snakepit of cables on the floor between ourselves and the Chair.
He did not help us with that and so it was left with the man nearby who was taking the meeting Minutes….
Given that Medina House is in Cllr Hawtree’s ward, it seems a shame he could not have shown more interest and responsibility towards addressing this petition – signed mostly by Central Ward voters for.
Disgusting, where is the planning department? and yes block it!
Great to see publicity for this shambles. I was astounded by the way the petition was received by Council. Have never witnessed one of these events before and expected at least a debate or questions to the presenter, if not an immediate decision or vote. Valerie’s presentation was well within the 3-minute limit (which seemed to be the only thing Cllr Hawtree cared about), extremely well-put and clear. When she asked Cllr Hawtree when the petitioners could expect to hear a response from Council, she was told, in his characteristically waffly way “I can’t tell you that. It will go through the process.” UNBELIEVABLE. And Valerie’s comments above show that he clearly had no idea, or was not advised well, on all the options for dealing with petitions. The petition only had a short time to gather signatories and the numbers were therefore not in the thousands. Does the number of signatories have any influence on whether petitions are just “noted” or responded to? What exactly informs their decision? I think we should know. Do the Council members actually know themselves??
Let’s keep the pressure on and keep gathering support for a planning brief. My experience on gathering signatures was that people are already fond of the Medina and have often wondered what it is (and some older people remember how beautiful the tiles were and swimming in the salt water pool) but very few know the sinister plans of its owner (some thought the council owned it). The fact that it is of such historic significance should be made more public.. It was no effort at all getting people to sign and I hope we can keep SaveHove’s campaign going from strength to strength.
catty comment: I had no idea at time that the chair WAS Cllr Hawtree (he doesn’t look much like the pic in his campaign leaflet) and am now extremely disappointed in the representation he gives for the Greens.