As a city we are making steady progress on dozens of projects that will benefit the city, those who live here, work here and visit it – and announcements on the next stages of several are imminent.
Work is well under way at the Shelter Hall/A259 project at the bottom of West Street and work on Circus Street has recommenced.
The marketing of King’s House has ended in the past week and we will proceed with a swift sale to one of the many prospective buyers who have placed bids.
In two weeks we will launch the crowdfunding campaign for the restoration of the Madeira Terraces, delayed because of the election, at the same time as we submit a bid for Lottery funding.
The planning application for the extensive Preston Barracks scheme will go in front of the Planning Committee this summer. If approved work is likely start by the new ear after decades of delay.
Valley Gardens comes back to committee in July and work is well under way on the new Hanningtons Lane off North Street.
Discussions with Crest Nicholson on the new King Alfred continue next week. Meanwhile the new swimming pool and zip wire in Madeira Drive are on their way as is the major work on Volk’s Railway’s new stations, track and stock ready for next summer.
Next month there will be progress on delivering the thousand truly affordable homes, on offer at 60 per cent of market rates, across the first three sites.
At least half of our 500 new council homes are now finished, nearing completion or in the planning stages.
The commencement of major works at the Royal Sussex County Hospital is well advanced as is work at Sussex University to provide more on-campus accommodation for students to ease pressure on city housing.
By the end of July there will be significant news on the Waterfront Project, including the extension of Churchill Square to the seafront and the building of a new 10,000-seat arena at Black Rock.
This is a half a billion pound project that will take a decade to complete but which will secure the city’s economic future.
Overall there is well over two and a half billion pounds of investment coming in to Brighton and Hove, aimed at delivering the jobs, homes and infrastructure the city needs.
With dozens of projects in the pipeline, limited council resources, a difficult national economic situation and opposition parties always ready to frustrate and delay progress, there are bound to be some hold-ups with a minority of schemes.
Overall though we are building a better Brighton and Hove with the needs of local residents and businesses in mind.
Councillor Warren Morgan is the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council.
You have been in Office 2 years and all you have to really show is the Shelter Hall.You conveniently forgot the money you borrowed for the Landscaping around the i360 and money put in from the dividend.I find it strange that you can get a Government Loan at the drop of a hat for the i360 but not for othermore necessary projects and the need for crowd funding for the Madeira Terraces.You have obviously paid for Hove Town Hall somehow and what is going to happen to rhe proceeds from Kings House?I also thought you were going to spend £50m with Hyde on how many homes?
You promised so much but have very little to show for it.
The incapable and incompetent Green Party…
The proceeds from Kings House will pay for the work on Hove Town Hall. The loan for the i360 was approved by the Green Administration with Tory support. Labour voted against. We applied for Coastal Communities Fund money for the Terraces, the Government refused. We are applying for Lottery funding and will go for a PWLB loan when we have enough to prove the business case.
So you are telling me that the Contractors who carried out the work haven’t been paid and will be once Kings House has been sold.I remember you telling me that The Council aren’t Developers when I suggested You Develop Kings House and yet now you are going to do a Joint Venture with Hyde to the tune of £50m.So are you or aren’t youYou moan about Government cuts but when opportunity arrives to make some funds you shun the idea.
I know the funding for the i360 was approved by The Tories and Greens my point was that under your Admin you have borrowed from the Loans Board AND used the dividend from the loan to pay for the Landscaping.It would appear that the West Pier Trust and Brightoni360Holdings Ltd has the Council by the short and curlies for some reason.Never mind the £36,000 that You spent on keeping it out of the Public Domain though.
Great, what fabulous progress “Discussions with Crest Nicholson on the new King Alfred continue next week”. Has the “affordable homes demand killed the project? The model is broken.
Sooo, let’s break that down…
– the building site on the beach hasn’t ground to a halt
– the brownfield site on Circus Street will probably become a building site sometime soon
– we’re going to get together soon to chat about who we sell King’s House to
– we’re soon going to start begging for money for the Madeira Arches
– we’ll hopefully get together to decide what to do about Preston Barracks fairly soon
– we’ll hopefully get together to decide what to do about Valley Gardens fairly soon
– the company that we said were allowed to develop Hanningtons Lane are, um, developing Hanningtons Lane
– we’re going to have a chat soon with a company who might want to redevelop the King Alfred site
– the companies that are going to build the zip wire and the new swimming pool are, erm, doing… something
– as far as we’re aware, the Volks Railway might be running sometime next year
– building work on less than one half of the first lot of “affordable” homes has even started
– the company that we said were allowed to develop the hospital are, um, developing the hospital
– the company that we said were allowed to build bedsits at the university are, um, doing so
– we’ve been chatting about whether we’ll let builders spend their money knocking down the Brighton Centre, but we haven’t decided yet
– we’ve been chatting about whether we’ll let builders dig a swimming pool, but we haven’t decided yet
Thanks Warren, it’s good to hear such concrete proposals are in place. Keep on updating us.
In the meantime this ‘Labour’ council has abandoned disabled people in true Tory fashion. Just take a look at the case of Robert Carver, now entering his sixth year in dire need of accommodation suited to his needs as specified by independent NHS medical experts – conveniently ignored by Warren Morgan and his council, or just plain lied about because…..that is what Labour stands for?
while they pay millions to private slum landlords without contracts of standards for so-called “temporary, emergency” accommodation.. revolting places we would not keep a dog in.
Its all very exciting I have to admit Mr Warren I can barely contain my excitement.. .Meanwile
down in the bladder department there are more pressing needs ,I dont suppose youve any funding available to re open or build any public toilets in Brighton and hove have you ? Goldstone Villas and Norton Road both closed Friday , just leaves Weatherspoons /Macdonalds ..what a farce !
We need an ice rink!!! Not an other silly i360 thingy that keeps breaking down and is pretty pointless ! There are kids who have to travel to Guildford just so they can practice ice hockey , bring back the old ice rink !
Some really excellent developments in the city. In a year or so, when many have significantly progressed, Brighton and Hove will be a really improved city!
Much better, after years of neglect and wasted money on pointless schemes.
It would be great if Hove Lagoon could be included in future improvements. We are on the edge of the City and Because of that we are often forgotten. Loads of local residents use the Lagoon and visitors from further afield enjoy its facilities. Although it is much loved it does need some TLC. Friends of Hove Lagoon was established to protect, enhance & improve the Lagoon for the benefit of all of its users but we do need some financial support to do that.