There is a point when shabby-chic becomes just shabby.

Residents in Kemp Town have long been attracted to its reputation for an artistic alternative ambience.

But when edgy merely means grim then it is time to take action.

Business owners and community safety representatives believe that St James’s Street in particular and the Kemp Town area in general have passed the tipping point.

Councillor Geoffrey Bowden, cabinet member for culture, recreation and tourism, whose Green Park ward includes Kemp Town, admits that there are problems with rough sleepers, street drinkers and discarded needles.

Chris Cooke, chair of the new LGBT community safety forum, said the area is becoming shabby and feels unsafe.

Alex Matthews, the owner of the A-Bar in Marine Parade and leader of the Brighton Gay Business Forum, feels a lot of crime goes unreported so that incidents known to the police may be the tip of the iceberg.

He said that double-dip recession means businesses must try harder to win customers.

He said: “We need to develop a new strategy to make sure that Brighton remains the first choice of LGBT tourists when they arrive in the UK. The area used to feature strongly in the national listings magazines but it no longer does. We need to do something to remedy that. We also need to look at improving St James’ Street so that visitors feel welcome and safe when they visit the city.”

He said that 20 businesses have signed up to the forum so far and 11 more have expressed an interest.

He said: “We want to expand the forum as quickly as possible. We want to encourage people to come to the area. It’s no good asking people to come here, telling them that it’s a nice place to visit and when they get here it’s like Beirut.

“We have had no mechanism in place to talk with the council and police. We have got to make the place nice. If I think the problems have arisen because business owners and police and community groups have not communicated enough. If we can get people sharing knowledge and telling us what the perception is about the area we begin to tackle it.

“There has been an increase in crime in the area and I think there also a lot of unreported incidents so we have only got the tip of the iceberg.”

“Businesses could be busier during the week. We need to do something to remedy that. The area used to rival Canal Street in Manchester and even Soho in London as a busy, buzzing place to be. That’s no longer the case. We need to look at improving St James’s Street so that visitors feel welcome and safe when they visit the city.”

Mr Cooke said the LGBT Community and Safety Forum would work with business groups and PCSOs to combat crime.

He said: “There is a problem with street drinking and begging and we have had a number of reports of muggings and assaults. We have to be bold and say what Kemp Town has become and if that means using words like ‘shabby’ then so be it.

“We need to tackle that and we need to encourage tourists and their spending power to return to the area. That doesn’t mean changing the character of the area. It means changing its profile and making it safe and pleasant for everyone.

“This is an issue we will be turning our attention to in the months ahead and it is opportune that a new business forum is being established enabling us to collaborate in tackling these pressing community safety issues. We need to develop a new strategy to make sure that Brighton remains the first choice of LGBT tourists when they arrive in the UK.”

There will, of course, be voices raised in protest at attempts to sanitise the soul out of Kemp Town. When the mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani launched his zero-tolerance crackdown on the notorious area of Broadway around 42nd Street his opponents accused him of ‘Disneyfication’.

But streets do not have to be bland to beckon visitors.

Kemp Town has the seeds of a fantastic addition to the city’s varied scene. They must be nurtured.

How do you think Kemp Town can be improved?