Residents fear anti-social behaviour will ramp up after lighting was switched off at Brighton’s Victoria Fountain.
The newly restored Grade II listed fountain’s water flow was switched off last month after a borehole broke – and the lighting powers down when water is not flowing to prevent overheating.
Old Steine Community Association chair Gary Farmer contacted all Brighton and Hove councillors to share his shock that the fountain would be left to “sit and fester over the winter months in darkness.
He has regularly raised concerns about the “dark and unsafe” environment around Old Steine in the winter, resulting in anti-social behaviour.
Mr Farmer said: “Old Steine Gardens has a limp cardboard public space protection order tied to a lamp post, yet on a daily basis, empty bottles of cheap spirits can be found perched on the fountain edge or sprinkled around the gardens.
“The single bench that remains is a congregation spot for drunken anti-social behaviour, as is the wooded southeast corner of the gardens.
“The one vandalised phone box is a public toilet, as is the darkened fountain bowl, and the lamps (to the south of Old Steine) that were installed have now faltered, and not all are working.
“Police do not patrol the area regularly, and when they are present, they do very little and walk on by.
“The general public should be able to enjoy our city centre green spaces without having to wait to be a victim.
“Unfortunately, the recently elected council is doing very little to help the situation, only appearing for organised photo opportunities for their Instagram feeds.
“Old Steine is where Kemptown/Regency/West Hill and North Laine meet – no votes to be won here, so no councillor has ever paid much attention to it, and many, as we have seen recently, do not even reply to their constituents concerns at all.”
Labour’s chair of the Equalities, Community Safety and Human Rights Committee councillor Leslie Pumm, said the council is “very aware” of Mr Farmer’s concerns.
Councillor Pumm said: “There are issues relating to anti-social behaviour and crime in various areas of any city. People with concerns should report them to the police in the first instance.
“The Old Steine Gardens have not been raised by the police in our joint meetings with them as an area of ongoing concern.”
More benches please
Well today the fountain is running so anyone sitting on it will be very wet
The council has been in touch after many weeks of indecision and excuses, we care now at a point where they will turn it on until it goes cold (whatever this means). So now we have intermittent usage dependent on the temperature. It was on fir Wednesday night but since then nothing. I am thinking the council are just trying to keep me quiet with false hope.