A fresh focus is to be brought to bear on an array of problems facing a busy shopping street in the centre of Brighton.
The aim is to tackle drug use, anti-social behaviour and concerns about public safety and air quality in St James’s Street in a joined up way.
Labour councillor Gary Wilkinson, who represents Kemptown ward on Brighton and Hove City Council, has been pressing for co-ordinated action in the area.
Councillor Wilkinson raised the issues at the last meeting of the full council before Christmas in response to residents and businesses repeatedly raising their concerns.
Formal responses from council cabinet members said that the council would bring together various organisations and individuals early in the new year to address the problems.
They individuals and organisations include ward councillors, council officials responsible for various services, Sussex Police and local stakeholders.
The aim would be to come up with a joined up plan for St James’s Street, recognising the need for co-ordinated and visible leadership.
In response to Councillor Wilkinson’s question on public safety, the council acknowledged that the area faced longstanding and complex challenges and agreed that isolated or short-term interventions were not sufficient.
The council said that it would work collaboratively with partners to develop a co-ordinated approach focused on improving public safety, tackling anti-social behaviour and supporting vulnerable individuals.
Councillor Wilkinson said today: “This is about leadership and accountability.
“I raised these issues at council because, rather than focus on individual cases or single issues, it’s important to have a strategy that addresses safety, anti-social behaviour and the wider environment on the street.
“I’m pleased the administration has now committed to bringing partners together to develop a proper joined up plan for St James’s Street. That’s a direct result of residents’ voices being taken into the council chamber.”
Councillor Wilkinson also pressed the council on air quality, calling for a review of whether St James’s Street should be explicitly included within Brighton and Hove’s “bus ultra low emission zone” (ULEZ).
The question arose because of the volume of bus traffic and the number of people living and working along the street.
In response, Labour councillor Trevor Muten, the council’s cabinet member for transport, said that all scheduled buses using St James’s Street should already meet ultra low emission zone standards.
The council was now prepared to review the extent of the bus ULEZ and consider whether it should be extended further east and north, using air quality data to inform decisions.
Councillor Wilkinson said: “Public safety is about more than crime – it’s also about health.
“Residents living above shops and people spending long periods in St James’s Street are exposed to traffic pollution every day.
“By raising this at council, I wanted to ensure clean air policies are applied where they’re needed most. The commitment to review the ULEZ is an important step forward.”
Councillor Wilkinson said that he would continue to work with residents, businesses and partners to ensure that the promised actions lead to real improvements on the ground.
He added: “Kemptown deserves strong representation. I raised these concerns. I secured commitments – and I’ll keep pushing to make sure action is delivered for St James’s Street.”
Pretty much all traffic on that road is delivery vans and buses. Perhaps some of the buses could be routed up Edward st ?
But a lot of people will want to go to St James’s Street. Really air quality when they are due to demolish St James’s House? A good sentiment but awful timing.
Yes. Demolishing St James House is really going to help the air quality! I wonder what the embodied carbon emissions are for that project! Is the Environmental Impact Assessment available yet?
Perhaps if they hadn’t narrowed St James St to the point that traffic can no longer pass buses at bus stops, including other buses, they wouldn’t have created congestion and an air quality problem!
Make St James St wider again. It was already one way!!! Hands up who else is sick of all these council-created problems! It’s time for Councillor Wilkinson to get his cape on and be the hero who calls out and reverses this insanity instead of perpetuating it.
Air quality, congestio and construction impacts are all real issues, but St James’s Street has multiple overlapping problems right now, heavy bus and delivery traffic, pedestrian safety, antisocial behaviour. None of those are solved overnight, and none have a single, simple fix, as suggested by some.
I’m encouraged by this initiative. It is actually looking at the situation on the ground rather than ignoring it or kicking it down the road. Even if people disagree with some past decisions, engaging with the problems as they exist now is better than doing nothing.
Credit is due to the councillors and officers who are clearly trying to listen, coordinate and improve things for everybody. Hopefully this will be the start of practical adjustments, better enforcement and, crucially, a willingness to change course where things clearly aren’t working.
We all want a safer, healthier St James Street. Let’s get behind this.
Moving the ULEZ won’t change anything.. all the buses are Euro 6 anyway and a few little generators charging the older electric buses won’t cause much. It’s the bottle neck road that needs sorting out as half the bays were paved in during COVID. Most were disabled or loading bays with the odd shared bay. Now there’s taxis and trucks stopping blocking the road any cyclists flying down a one way street. Pedestrianisation would harm the area as it’s very busy passenger wise. They won’t want to walk for ages to another stop, especially when a large amount of people are elderly.
I’m wondering if a partial pedestrianisation is an answer here; something akin to a public transport-only corridor, with limited private access before 10am and after 6pm for loading purposes?
On paper this seems a good suggestion however it does raise other issues. The street is single carriageway up to Rock Gardens. There is a Post Office which needs a bay for collections and posting packages and parcels. There are a variety of independent traders that need servicing and it is not feasible to just deflect traffic and parking to the side streets. The street is virtually pedestrianised as it is. What is needed is enforcement of standards such as cycling at excessive speed the wrong way down the road and the plethora of antisocial behaviour witnessed daily. Dorset Gardens is plagued by street drinkers and illegal camping just yards from the main police station yet nothing is done. I welcome any initiative to improve conditions but as the old saying goes: “God so loved the World, he didn’t send a committee!”
I’m certainly with you on enforcing standards on cycles, e-bikes and e-scooters. Very common to witness jumping reds, mounting pavements, etc.
For antisocial, I think the best argument I’ve heard is a more constant visible policing presence. I guess it is harder to justify, because you can’t point to raw numbers, you’d have to look at a trend, and explain how prevention was caused by the presence and not another external factor…
Police says its not their concern the councils as it a social issue. The council dont have the resources saying that , there are changes that can be made to policies which cost nothing
I would respectfully point them towards their PCSO role. Anyway, there is a complex relationship, but it is inherently a shared responsibility. Focusing on policing, I’m sure you will agree, plays a preventative, visible role in deterring crime and building public confidence.
On paper this seems a good suggestion however it does raise other issues. The street is single carriageway up to Rock Gardens. There is a Post Office which needs a bay for collections and posting packages and parcels. There are a variety of independent traders that need servicing and it is not feasible to just deflect traffic and parking to the side streets. The street is virtually pedestrianised as it is. What is needed is enforcement of standards such as cycling at excessive speed the wrong way down the road and the plethora of antisocial behaviour witnessed daily. Dorset Gardens is plagued by street drinkers and illegal camping just yards from the main police station yet nothing is done. I welcome any initiative to improve conditions but as the old saying goes: “God so loved the World, he didn’t send a committee!”
St James St is already largely given over to public transport and deliveries. It needs some of the loading bays and disabled spaces unblocking again since Covid to relieve this artificially created congestion bottleneck, preferably re-widen the street properly as buses are being delayed from their timetable compliance by the fact they cannot overtake one another.
Something part time perhaps only at weekends at certain times leaving space for events and businesses to spill out . Closing during Pride gave a snapshot of how it could become