Workers installed a new bike hangar in front of three children’s bedroom window despite their father’s repeated requests for it to go elsewhere.
Adam Khan wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council early last month after a public notice about the new bike shelter appeared near his home in Warleigh Road, Brighton.
He was frustrated that no one replied to address his concerns that the car-sized metal box would block the light to his children’s bedroom in the family’s basement flat.
Mr Khan, 52, who has lived in Warleigh Road for 11 years, supported the principle of having bike hangars in the street where most houses have been turned into flats and lack storage space.
During the first national coronavirus lockdown, from March to May 2020, dozens of families had bikes stolen from outside their homes despite having been padlocked
Mr Khan emailed the council to object to the hangar’s position. He said that placing it within five metres of a basement bedroom window was “inhumane”, adding: “A car has windows.
“There’s no doubt this is more substantial than a car. There’s no glass. It’s a big chunk with writing on it. It’s like having a billboard in front of your house.
“The pavement is narrow enough already. It’s so close, it looms over our home. We’re in the basement flat and it’s what we see now out of our bay window.
“I don’t understand what the writing is for. Who needs to know? The only people who see that writing know it’s a residents’ hanger. The writing should be facing out so people can see it.
“Now it’s in it feels like I’m powerless to protect my family from an uncaring implacable force that has come and taken away my space. It feels like it’s part of our house. It’s so close.”
The council said that the hangars had to go at the end of a series of parking bays and the next nearest space was unsuitable because it was next to a tree.
Mr Khan could not see why the hanger should not go at the other end of the road next to the motorcycle parking bay. The bay is next to a wall and the hangar would not block a window.
The council said: “We’re sorry that the resident in question is disappointed with the position we have chosen for the cycle hangar.
“When we carry out statutory consultations, we often receive large numbers of comments. We take all comments into account before making decisions.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to offer personalised responses to every concern that is raised with us.
“There are various factors we have to take into consideration when assessing sites for cycle hangars. These include issues such as drainage, street furniture, trees and cycle thefts.
“This particular location was assessed as being suitable. Only locations with more than five objections are referred to our Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee for its consideration.
“The cycle hangar has taken the place of a parking space. It may be bigger than an average car but it is smaller than a van. And it doesn’t create any emissions.
“We have had significant interest from hundreds of residents wanting a cycle hangar near their homes.
“We need to provide an infrastructure that allows people to make active travel choices and cycle hangars in Brighton and Hove are a big part of doing this.”
I’m sorry, but Green Party dogma must take precedence over anything else!
How is creating safe bike storage in an area with high bike thefts “green party dogma”? That’s called doing their job. The police commissioner and previous councils have basically ignored people having their bikes stolen. All your comments seem to revolve around you making inflammatory statements about the green party… Maybe go outside and touch grass my friend
Yeah right what green consultation we choose where you just have to get used to it
Bikes take precedence over people for the Greens
St Caroline lives a short distance away and has a tree outside her house. Has she had one of these imposed on her?
The Council don’t care. Sorry Mr Khan.
It must be replaced by a van immediately, for the children!
Try having a railway line/bank one side and a building site who’s putting flats towering my house the other. We now have no natural light so have to have lights on all the time and the energy bills as they are it’s ridiculous
Mr Kahn makes a sensible alternative but is ignored – what a surprise! They actually moved a blue badge bay in the drive to put one if these in despite the residents concern. No one is against secure bike storage but surely a little common sense is required.
When did common sense ever play a part in the decision making by this council?
Who wants to look out their window to see that every day all feckin’ year. Permanent light blocking monstrosity. It’s not on. He came up with a very reasonable solution and got feck all response. The council needs to get their heads out their arses and start listening.
Can see why you didn’t show the photo until right at the end. Because no light’s being blocked at all.
Yes, you’re right. It’s shorter and lower than most cars and it doesn’t emit any fumes into the child’s bedroom. At least the headline hints at the reality because it puts ‘blocks’ in quotation marks
Spare a thought for those who have a rarely emptied communal bin right outside their house
They’ve placed loads at the end of roads on junctions obscuring view of traffic. Not a lot of thinking going on in the planning department…again
This is really a story? The window is slightly covered by the bike hanger but no more so than a large car would with the added benefit of zero pollution.
More pressing than the window being slightly blocked are the 170 people who die unnecessarily every year in Brighton due to pollution: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/news/2022/improving-air-quality-and-tackling-pollution-clean-air-day. Hangers like this enable more people to cycle and therefore reduce the pollution and associated deaths.
Anything vaguely anti-cyclist is a news story to BHN and Argus.
Not sure what picture the rest of you wingefest are looking at but I can’t see much light being blocked
It’s a bedroom,why are they about their light being blocked
He should at least get a council tax discount for devaluing his property value, surely planning permission should have been obtained for a permanent structure given the impact it could have to residents and access to light.
Very poor move by the council. Nothing that does not move should be built so close to any home. Underage children may be seen by people placing bikes here: not even cars should be allowed to park here.
Doesn’t look very ‘blocked’ to me! What a non-story.
A handy place to fly-tip!
This is a complete non-story, why are B&H News even publishing it?
No light is blocked by this Bike Hangar. It’s 5 metres away from the window. Many people have to live with much less natural light. If a van was parked there instead there would be a far greater impact.
Perhaps the real issue is that Mr Khan wants to park there.