Brighton and Hove leaders desperate to improve Western Road (From The Argus)
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Brighton and Hove leaders desperate to improve Western Road
6:30pm Friday 13th July 2012 in News By Bill Gardner
Preston Street part of the proposed 'West Laine'
Only a few years ago, the area around Western Road in Brighton bustled with shoppers and hungry customers.
For decades the district was a go-to destination for visitors leaving the seafront and major hotels.
But the recession has hit the area hard with rows of empty homes and shabby shopfronts.
Business leaders now complain shoppers and tourists have deserted the district in favour of the fashionable boutique shops in the North Laine.
In April, a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses found 40% of shops in the area were now lying vacant.
Hordes of street drinkers are now a regular sight in doorways and on park benches in nearby Norfolk Square.
As Brighton and Hove City Council move ahead with plans to build the i360 in front of Regency Square, city leaders are desperate to revitalise the troubled district before the tourists arrive in their droves.
Andrew Burnyeat is chair of the Brighton Business Improvement District and manager of Icom, a computer repair shop in Preston Street.
He said: “The area from Western Road to Norfolk Square certainly does not look as good as it did five or six years ago.
“I think the whole area has been depressed for a while. We’ve made improvements in recent months but there’s definitely a long way to go.”
'Soaring rents'
Many traders around Western Road are in dire straits as they face soaring rents and plummeting profits.
Trevor Freeman, chairman of the Brighton and Hove Federation of Small Businesses, said landlords were often to blame for the empty shops.
He said: “Around that way it’s becoming impossible for many small shops to stay afloat.
“The problem is many are tied into contracts with upward escalation clauses.
“This means their rent can only go up, not down, and that is unacceptable in the current climate.
“Some unsympathetic landlords put the rent up without taking into account the prevailing circumstances.
“So there needs to be concerted action from tenants and the authorities to make sure this doesn’t happen.
“Another solution would be for the council to break up the larger empty properties into littler units so smaller businesses have the chance to get started.
“I also think government need to lower business rates in times of stress by targeting struggling areas like Western Road and Preston Street to boost trade.
“All this would take is a bit of clever thinking.”
Rename as West Laine
One idea to revitalise the Western Road area is to revive its historic name in a bid to attract visitors.
Councillor Jason Kitcat, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, suggested that the district become known again as the West Laine.
In years gone by the West Laine was one of five fields that surrounded Brighton including the North Laine, Hilly Laine and Little Laine.
Coun Kitcat said a rebrand could help the neighbourhood emulate the success of the North Laine, famed for its boutique shops and cafes.
He said: “The area around Preston Street, Norfolk Square and Western Road is somewhat divided. As a wider area it doesn’t really have an identity.
“Calling it the West Laine could potentially generate more interest and customers. I think the idea could have a really positive impact and could generate a real sense of community.
“As we move forward with the i360 tower it might help to change how people feel about the area.”
What can be done to impove Western Road? Share your opinions below
Comments(75)
southwicker2
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6:46pm Fri 13 Jul 12
rolivan
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6:50pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Abrightonian
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6:56pm Fri 13 Jul 12
GraemeDavis
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7:27pm Fri 13 Jul 12
As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
jamesbandenburg
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7:42pm Fri 13 Jul 12
power_ranger
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7:44pm Fri 13 Jul 12
I voted green. NEVER again. Talk about backstabbing your own constituency with lunatic ideals that looked good on paper, but obviously not working in reality.
U-turn now and you might still have a tiny minority of voters to start fresh with.
Continue on your current path and no one will be sad to see you go.
No one.
bug eye
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7:48pm Fri 13 Jul 12
martyt
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7:49pm Fri 13 Jul 12
was the last time i will be going in to Brighton i cant afford the parking charges and shop ,and with free parking at out of town stores it makes every thing cheaper ,the greens are making
the city center greener by all but banning cars and killing off the jobs in the city with it parking charges ,but on the plus side the great unwashed can pitch a tent and cycle were ever they want too
rolivan
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7:50pm Fri 13 Jul 12
jamesbandenburg wrote:I have been saying this for ages.The Shuttle could run in 2 circular routes between Palmeira Sq and the Steine some doing the Seafront and some doing Davigdor and the Station.With the main Shuttle going back and forth along Western Rd.
The main reason I never bother with Western Road is that it's constantly snarled up with hundreds of buses queuing to get to the Churchill Square stops and belching out carcinogenic blue smoke. It's a complete eyesore. Is it really necessary having so many routes running down Western Road? A shuttle that runs between Portslade station and the Old Steine would reduce about 90% of the buses running down the road. Let's not forget that this road that is predominantly closed to cars had one of the highest levels of pollution in the city...
quedula
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8:28pm Fri 13 Jul 12
GraemeDavis wrote:Perhaps you should point this out to the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary. Until then I'm happy to use their definition of "laine", namely, "a name given to certain tracts of arable land at the foot of the Sussex Downs."
Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies.
As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
Morpheus
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8:29pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Lady Smith
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8:39pm Fri 13 Jul 12
rolivan wrote:Sorry - is there a sentence and a point somewhere in here?
Here's an idea why doesn't Local Government put their money where their mouth is and use Pension Funds to buy parts of Brighton and Hove and completely redevelop areas.We don't want SKysrapers everwhere but it isn't economical to have single and double storey Commercial buildings in the City Centre surely.Just think of all of the Money that was "invested" in Iceland at supposedly high rates,has that mone been recouped.
rolivan
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8:49pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Lady Smith wrote:Yes there is! there are thousands of delapidated buildings in the Centre of Brighton and Hove that are relics of the past.At some point the Hotchpotch of Shops and Business Premises need to be Redeveloped,the sooner the better.
rolivan wrote:Sorry - is there a sentence and a point somewhere in here?
Here's an idea why doesn't Local Government put their money where their mouth is and use Pension Funds to buy parts of Brighton and Hove and completely redevelop areas.We don't want SKysrapers everwhere but it isn't economical to have single and double storey Commercial buildings in the City Centre surely.Just think of all of the Money that was "invested" in Iceland at supposedly high rates,has that mone been recouped.
mimseycal
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8:54pm Fri 13 Jul 12
It needs to become far more user friendly and less bus friendly.
HJarrs
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8:58pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Frankly, I don't buy the parking comments from the above. I am sure that some footfall is affected by parking charges and I do think they are too high, but I also don't think that those put off by the parking charges are a significant proportion of the market, as it has always been a pain to park around there anyway.
Unfortunately, this area has been in rapid decline for all my time in B&H and had gone down way before the Green administration took office.
One think would that would definately help would be if there were to be an attraction on the seafront in that area that would draw people to that end of town. Hmmm, lets see. How about a tower people could go up? That's always a winner.
george smith
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8:59pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Abrightonian wrote:With their marxist tendancies Kitkatgrad would probably be more suitable
Lowering parking costs in the area would give traders an immediate filip. West Laine, Babylon, Kitcatland. call it what you will. It won't make much difference until it's tidied up.
GraemeDavis
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9:01pm Fri 13 Jul 12
quedula wrote:The OED indeed gives the definition you set out, but also points out that it is "local", in this case a Sussex Downs variant spelling. It lists five archaic examples of this variant spelling - all deriving from a single late eighteenth century source. The OED does not give an etymology (though many books on Brighton give a spurious etymology).
GraemeDavis wrote:Perhaps you should point this out to the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary. Until then I'm happy to use their definition of "laine", namely, "a name given to certain tracts of arable land at the foot of the Sussex Downs."
Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies.
As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
If people wish to use the form "Laine" as a bit of fun then this is fine, but it is just an eighteenth century spelling variant. The use in Brighton's North Laine is not old - the idea of this name was revived in the 1930s and put into use fifty or sixty years ago.
Laine is as false as ye olde English tea shoppe - a form which is also in the OED.
mimseycal
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9:20pm Fri 13 Jul 12
HJarrs wrote:Tell me HJarrs, just out of interest mind you. If 79 people out of a total 100 told you that they don't eat steamed carrots, would you still insist on serving it to them?
Well, apparently all we need to do is turn B&H into a huge free car park and...hey presto! All the worlds ills are solved. Oh, except then with all the traffic you turn it into London Rd, nice!
Frankly, I don't buy the parking comments from the above. I am sure that some footfall is affected by parking charges and I do think they are too high, but I also don't think that those put off by the parking charges are a significant proportion of the market, as it has always been a pain to park around there anyway.
Unfortunately, this area has been in rapid decline for all my time in B&H and had gone down way before the Green administration took office.
One think would that would definately help would be if there were to be an attraction on the seafront in that area that would draw people to that end of town. Hmmm, lets see. How about a tower people could go up? That's always a winner.
deanaprior
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9:24pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Like the Laines try closing it off to traffic on Sundays put tables out on the pavements then if this works close it permanently.
The answer isn't more cars, its less.
s_james
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9:44pm Fri 13 Jul 12
HJarrs
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9:45pm Fri 13 Jul 12
mimseycal wrote:Don't remember seeing steamed carrots in the article.
HJarrs wrote:Tell me HJarrs, just out of interest mind you. If 79 people out of a total 100 told you that they don't eat steamed carrots, would you still insist on serving it to them?
Well, apparently all we need to do is turn B&H into a huge free car park and...hey presto! All the worlds ills are solved. Oh, except then with all the traffic you turn it into London Rd, nice!
Frankly, I don't buy the parking comments from the above. I am sure that some footfall is affected by parking charges and I do think they are too high, but I also don't think that those put off by the parking charges are a significant proportion of the market, as it has always been a pain to park around there anyway.
Unfortunately, this area has been in rapid decline for all my time in B&H and had gone down way before the Green administration took office.
One think would that would definately help would be if there were to be an attraction on the seafront in that area that would draw people to that end of town. Hmmm, lets see. How about a tower people could go up? That's always a winner.
However, I do note that the major issue seemed to be Landlords raising rents and I should imagine that is where the rot set in, now compounded by a squeeze on disposable incomes.
Nobody wants to pay parking charges, I don't when I drive, but in the part of town I don't believe it is really the issue. If you made parking free I doubt it would make that much difference as the place is no longer attractive enough to drive to. Not only that but large volumes of traffic put people off. The Laines would not be so popular if there was not someform of restraint on car traffic. We should look to provide sufficient access for those with mobility impairement first and foremost when planning car access.
Maxwell's Ghost
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10:03pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Weeks.
Now isn't really the time to
Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.
mimseycal
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10:04pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Reflect on your post
says...
10:15pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for
Weeks.
Now isn't really the time to
Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.
Reflect on your post
says...
10:20pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for
Weeks.
Now isn't really the time to
Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.
george smith
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10:27pm Fri 13 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:Well aren't you the lucky one, not everyone can afford the cost of going into the city, parking and buses are both expensive from the outskirts
Maxwell's Ghost wrote: I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for Weeks. Now isn't really the time to Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
saveHOVE
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11:05pm Fri 13 Jul 12
The demographic is at fault. People over 25 were the Western Road (and arguably North Street) core type of customer. The North Laine was always the funky bit and a magnet for the young and of course this is a student town masquerading as a bonafide 'city' whilst enjoying the status of 'city'.
Unless the demographic balance is corrected, this can only get worse.
All 'yoof' wants from the city is funky shops, clubs, the Duke of York, pubs and bars - oh, and lawns to party on where they can leave their disposable barbecues and beer bottles/cans behind for an adult to clear away.
If the will to reduce the student population is not there (it isn't) then 'moving with the times' is the only solution.
This woud mean looking at the areas above shops and assessing whether or not the empty shops could be returned to residential use.
Breaking up that length of road from The Old Steine, along North Street, continuing along Western Road to Palmeira Square so that it becomes mixed development (homes down to pavement level, with street entrances, shops, cafes and offices) instead of the monoculture of tacky and constantly churning this 'n that small shops would be A Good Thing.
saveHOVE
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11:09pm Fri 13 Jul 12
GraemeDavis wrote:The word 'laine' means field. Look at old maps of Brighton. They were so designated THEN without 'lanes'.
Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies. As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
Reflect on your post
says...
11:09pm Fri 13 Jul 12
george smith wrote:George, its all about priorities...
Reflect on your post wrote:Well aren't you the lucky one, not everyone can afford the cost of going into the city, parking and buses are both expensive from the outskirts
Maxwell's Ghost wrote: I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for Weeks. Now isn't really the time to Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
saveHOVE
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11:10pm Fri 13 Jul 12
saveHOVE
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11:18pm Fri 13 Jul 12
GraemeDavis wrote:Weren't Sussex and Normandy once much closer than now? Both physically and politically? The French word 'laine' is entirely logical for vernacular reference to a field.
quedula wrote:The OED indeed gives the definition you set out, but also points out that it is "local", in this case a Sussex Downs variant spelling. It lists five archaic examples of this variant spelling - all deriving from a single late eighteenth century source. The OED does not give an etymology (though many books on Brighton give a spurious etymology). If people wish to use the form "Laine" as a bit of fun then this is fine, but it is just an eighteenth century spelling variant. The use in Brighton's North Laine is not old - the idea of this name was revived in the 1930s and put into use fifty or sixty years ago. Laine is as false as ye olde English tea shoppe - a form which is also in the OED.GraemeDavis wrote: Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies. As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).Perhaps you should point this out to the compilers of the Oxford English Dictionary. Until then I'm happy to use their definition of "laine", namely, "a name given to certain tracts of arable land at the foot of the Sussex Downs."
quedula
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4:27am Sat 14 Jul 12
saveHOVE wrote:Exactly. Why would the old map makers call a field a "lane" and then misspell it?
GraemeDavis wrote:The word 'laine' means field. Look at old maps of Brighton. They were so designated THEN without 'lanes'.
Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies. As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
mycroftmill
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6:04am Sat 14 Jul 12
Reflect on your post
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6:29am Sat 14 Jul 12
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
george smith
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7:40am Sat 14 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:You prioritise giving you money to NCP?!!!
george smith wrote:George, its all about priorities...Reflect on your post wrote:Well aren't you the lucky one, not everyone can afford the cost of going into the city, parking and buses are both expensive from the outskirtsMaxwell's Ghost wrote: I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for Weeks. Now isn't really the time to Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
Reflect on your post
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7:48am Sat 14 Jul 12
george smith wrote:You don't have to be so lazy George and you don't have to use NCP even if you insist on using a car.
Reflect on your post wrote:You prioritise giving you money to NCP?!!!
george smith wrote:George, its all about priorities...Reflect on your post wrote:Well aren't you the lucky one, not everyone can afford the cost of going into the city, parking and buses are both expensive from the outskirtsMaxwell's Ghost wrote: I was in town last Friday night and then shopping Saturday and Sunday and I was shocked at how empty shops and restaurants were. I got chatting to a young lad serving in one shop who said things had been pretty bad for Weeks. Now isn't really the time to Have such high Parking charges and the bad news about the charges seems to have travelled to towns nearby so perhaps out of towners are now staying away by habit.Perhaps if you were 'in town' a little more often you wouldn't be so 'shocked'. I make a point of spending what is left of my hard earned (after paying taxes to support those who are happy not to contribute), locally; maybe instead of moaning about students, you should too?
As I said, its all about priorities and clearly yours are all about you!
Maxwell's Ghost
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8:38am Sat 14 Jul 12
fred clause
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8:58am Sat 14 Jul 12
y The Greens wont do any of that so onwards into slumville goes our Town.
Reflect on your post
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9:06am Sat 14 Jul 12
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:Couldn't agree more Maxwell. I am fed up of people coming on here making extremely blinkered statements then chiseling away to try to force their views on others. Bottom line is it is us locals and investors who will make the city vibrant and not the council. George and his ilk will get what they deserve.
Don't feed the troll
GraemeDavis
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9:54am Sat 14 Jul 12
Some of the comments on this thread demonstrate how much people want Laine to be something other than what it is. It turns up in three volumes of an agricultural treatise right at the end of the eighteenth century, is repeated in one or two nineteenth century texts (one is disputed) while the comprehensive OED lists it as a local use precisely because it has these four or five occurrences. It is simply a spelling variant of lane. It has nothing to do with French laine (wool). The popular usage of the form is a twentieth century invention. It is a fake. The undoubted fact that this wrong spelling has four or five occurrences which the OED correctly notes exist does not alter the fact that it is an invention.
Of course if we could have some affordable car parking in the area I would use it even if called Ye Olde Weste Laine Car Parke!
Number Six
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10:52am Sat 14 Jul 12
As for drunks in Norfolk Square, I lived there forty years ago and it was a hangout for them then. No change there, then
Reflect on your post
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11:13am Sat 14 Jul 12
Number Six wrote:Street drinkers are in my opinion Brighton's biggest issue and until these vagrants are removed from the streets, I honestly can't see the city being attractive. The second biggest issue is the morons who take pity on them helping to sustain their position-no funds,no purpose-and then maybe they will leave, perhaps even seeking employment and coming out of the benefits system. Excuse me can you spare me 90p for my bus fare home please?....Yeah right!
When i lived in Brighton, and in Hove, Western Road was always clogged with buses making it highly unattractive and not a little dangerous. Someine please tell me, why is it necessary for those leviathans to go all the way along Westen Road and out the other side. How many people get on a bus in say, Hangleton and get off in Patcham? Why doesn't the bus from Hangleton go down to Palmeira Square, turn round and go back. Or the bus from Patcham turn round at the old Steine and go back. All you need is a fleet of shuttle buses going from Palmeira Square to Old Steine and from the Station to the seafront. You could even make it tourist friendly by haviing trams or somesuch.
As for drunks in Norfolk Square, I lived there forty years ago and it was a hangout for them then. No change there, then
quedula
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12:15pm Sat 14 Jul 12
Number Six wrote:I strongly agree. Have often thought the same myself. Probably the shuttle buses could even be electric.
When i lived in Brighton, and in Hove, Western Road was always clogged with buses making it highly unattractive and not a little dangerous. Someine please tell me, why is it necessary for those leviathans to go all the way along Westen Road and out the other side. How many people get on a bus in say, Hangleton and get off in Patcham? Why doesn't the bus from Hangleton go down to Palmeira Square, turn round and go back. Or the bus from Patcham turn round at the old Steine and go back. All you need is a fleet of shuttle buses going from Palmeira Square to Old Steine and from the Station to the seafront. You could even make it tourist friendly by haviing trams or somesuch.
As for drunks in Norfolk Square, I lived there forty years ago and it was a hangout for them then. No change there, then
Another question is why do the buses have to go in front of Churchill Square? Why aren't they diverted down West St., along Regency Road, under the mall, and then by a short stretch of reinstated Clarence Street, back to Western Road?
Hove Speaking
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12:32pm Sat 14 Jul 12
inmegarden
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12:33pm Sat 14 Jul 12
mimseycal wrote:Too right !
Parking charges are certainly a huge issue. But it isn't that alone. The sheer number of buses, the constant belching of fumes, the honking and the blocked pavements where people stand and wait for the next bus make the area torture to navigate in wheelchair; as does the shoddy pavement.
It needs to become far more user friendly and less bus friendly.
I also have trouble with 'street hawkers' who position their 'trolly's of tat' at right angles across the pavement. Outside of M+S recently the pavement was restricted to 8 feet wide by these idiots.
Dealing with idiots
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1:59pm Sat 14 Jul 12
davyboy
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4:36pm Sat 14 Jul 12
Borrom
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5:16pm Sat 14 Jul 12
bug eye wrote:That's the first sensible comment I've seen. The rest have been the usual self-interested, navel-gazing rubbish about the Greens being useless, and the poor motor car no longer ruling the World. Well, get used to it, drivers. There are too many of you, so something's got be done to control you, for all our sakes.
blaming landlords is silly as they would rather a shop with a tenant than without they are not stupid. full shops then in turn push rents up anyway. parking charges need a serious rethink, allowing the most eco cars to to use bus lanes and park for free. west laine needs an identity with uniform shop fronts and an individual colour scheme perhaps with all buildings painted to a scheme. the area needs to be known as an art quarter, designer quarter or food quarter etc not a cheap off licence quarter as it is now. it needs better paving and contemporary lighting and planting and possibly a shared space like new road. the council need to play their part.
D5
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5:55pm Sat 14 Jul 12
mycroftmill wrote:I cycle in from steyning most days. the bus is £2.20 each way. Not exactly a massive expense is it? A pint is about £4, wish people on here would perhaps consider cycling and walking even. Fat gits. Brighton is great and im sure it isnt the parking that makes it look utterly horrible, id say its the plethora of bl00dy street drinkers sat in doorways all over the city. Is street drinking illegal or is it part of Brightons "ambiance" etc
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
Where is the common sence
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6:15pm Sat 14 Jul 12
what needs to be done is simple create more parking spaces reduce the cost of the existing spaces, make western road more accessible by simplifying the road systems.
Buses need to be reduced in the city center crossing western road is a game of russian roulette at the best of times.
Full time street cleaners working round the clock and an obvious police presence to deter illegal street vendors and beggers.....
Reflect on your post
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6:59pm Sat 14 Jul 12
Would love to know more, especially how much of the donation actually goes to charity? I may be wrong however my sense is that these guys are getting very rich from this!
HJarrs
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8:10pm Sat 14 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:They still about! Every time I saw them I couldn't find a PC to ask them a few searching questions.
Have any of you guys encountered the nice gentlemen dressed as superman / spiderman down in the lanes selling charity badges / key-rings?
Would love to know more, especially how much of the donation actually goes to charity? I may be wrong however my sense is that these guys are getting very rich from this!
Definately dodgy.
HJarrs
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8:15pm Sat 14 Jul 12
I get the feeling that if parking were free it would not drum up much extra trade in town. If you have experienced Holmbush hell on a busy Saturday, people are quite willing to put themselves to considerable inconvenience to live the dream of out of town shopping.
Nigel Furness
says...
9:44pm Sat 14 Jul 12
mimseycal
says...
9:57pm Sat 14 Jul 12
HJarrs wrote:I think you misunderstand ... it isn't I cannot afford to park. I refuse to enrich a council's coffers beyond the statutory when the same council does not seem all that concerned about making the town's amenities more suitable to my needs.
I do love the "I can't afford to park" line. Having spent thousands to own and run a car, a few quid in parking occasionally seems like very little to me.
I get the feeling that if parking were free it would not drum up much extra trade in town. If you have experienced Holmbush hell on a busy Saturday, people are quite willing to put themselves to considerable inconvenience to live the dream of out of town shopping.
A dilapidated pavement, queues of buses, droves of people standing around waiting for those self same buses. No enforcement regarding street furniture, no easy access public loos ... the list goes on.
Wanting value for money is not meanness but sound economic principles and quite frankly, with the current parking charges being what they are, Brighton is far from value for money.
HJarrs
says...
10:08pm Sat 14 Jul 12
mimseycal wrote:I would quite agree with you that there is much to do. I went to Shoreham recently and I like what they have done with the pedestrainisation of East Street. There seemed to be a lot more people about despite the weather. A high quality, well thought out street scape is certainly important.
HJarrs wrote:I think you misunderstand ... it isn't I cannot afford to park. I refuse to enrich a council's coffers beyond the statutory when the same council does not seem all that concerned about making the town's amenities more suitable to my needs.
I do love the "I can't afford to park" line. Having spent thousands to own and run a car, a few quid in parking occasionally seems like very little to me.
I get the feeling that if parking were free it would not drum up much extra trade in town. If you have experienced Holmbush hell on a busy Saturday, people are quite willing to put themselves to considerable inconvenience to live the dream of out of town shopping.
A dilapidated pavement, queues of buses, droves of people standing around waiting for those self same buses. No enforcement regarding street furniture, no easy access public loos ... the list goes on.
Wanting value for money is not meanness but sound economic principles and quite frankly, with the current parking charges being what they are, Brighton is far from value for money.
frida_3
says...
1:30am Sun 15 Jul 12
Kate234
says...
2:28am Sun 15 Jul 12
s_james wrote:If you pedestrianised Preston Street all the restaurants would lose their takeaway business as at the moment driving up Preston street is the only way to collect food from here. Parking in Regency Square car park is much too expensive and also quite dangerous for women in the evening.
Pedestrianising Preston St is a great idea. HJarrs also talks a lot of sense. Fair play to the Greens for highlighting the issue and trying to get something done - I don't recall previous administrations doing anything except tarting up Norfolk Square a bit
Kate234
says...
2:37am Sun 15 Jul 12
D5 wrote:I seriously considered not giving a job to someone from Steyning. The bus might costs £2.20 but it is quicker commuting to London by train than catching the bus from Steyning to Brighton (and the buses are far less frequent). He is now having to drive but because of the price of parking is having to dump his car miles away and walk into town.
mycroftmill wrote:I cycle in from steyning most days. the bus is £2.20 each way. Not exactly a massive expense is it? A pint is about £4, wish people on here would perhaps consider cycling and walking even. Fat gits. Brighton is great and im sure it isnt the parking that makes it look utterly horrible, id say its the plethora of bl00dy street drinkers sat in doorways all over the city. Is street drinking illegal or is it part of Brightons "ambiance" etc
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
quedula
says...
7:49am Sun 15 Jul 12
frida_3 wrote:. .and how do you do that? I'm sure John Lewis would come to Brighton if they thought it worthwhile.
Get that John Lewis department Store put into Western Road, That will bring in the shoppers. When is Brighton going to get its J.Lewis Dept store and others? many cities already have. It's about time people of this so called 'new city' had high class department stores not just the Lanes for shopping
george smith
says...
1:20pm Sun 15 Jul 12
quedula wrote:years ago there was a Libertys. in East street, but that gave up as well
frida_3 wrote: Get that John Lewis department Store put into Western Road, That will bring in the shoppers. When is Brighton going to get its J.Lewis Dept store and others? many cities already have. It's about time people of this so called 'new city' had high class department stores not just the Lanes for shopping. .and how do you do that? I'm sure John Lewis would come to Brighton if they thought it worthwhile.
mycroftmill
says...
1:21pm Sun 15 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
ghost bus driver
says...
5:41pm Sun 15 Jul 12
deanaprior wrote:It worked for George Street in Hove. That is a far more pleasant place to be than Preston Street is.
Looking at the photo , if they pedestrianised Preston Street and the roads adjacent to Western road it would be lovely.
Like the Laines try closing it off to traffic on Sundays put tables out on the pavements then if this works close it permanently.
The answer isn't more cars, its less.
Reflect on your post
says...
7:46pm Sun 15 Jul 12
mycroftmill wrote:Strange comment. I would like to see common sense prevail and a balance for the people who live in Brighton, the people who live and work in Brighton and everyone else.
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
guitarmanzz
says...
10:20pm Sun 15 Jul 12
GraemeDavis wrote:You are bang on GraemeDavis>Council created traffic jams!! S*itkat and his cronies are destroying the city/town with their insane traffic calming policies! god help us when they reduce grand parade to one lane and the queue goes back to pycombe..oh but the pollution levels will be ok and they wont be fined for it yeh>???? yeh right!! its all nuts now
Astronomic parking charges and council-created traffic jams are killing Brighton and Hove. We need parking costs at sane levels and an end to anti-motorist policies.
As a professional historical linguist I would like to point out that Laine (in North Laine) is simply a spelling variant of lane (despite the published false etymologies which invent an Anglo-Saxon origin). If a new name for the area helps let's call it West Lanes (like The Lanes).
mycroftmill
says...
6:36am Mon 16 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:The strange comment here is the response to my original posting :-
mycroftmill wrote:Strange comment. I would like to see common sense prevail and a balance for the people who live in Brighton, the people who live and work in Brighton and everyone else.
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
“if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place”.
Your xenophobic comment is at odds with Brighton’s ethos of inclusiveness and, hopefully, not the view of the majority. If it isn’t petition the Council to change the Welcome to Brighton signs at the City’s boundaries to something you think would discourage more people like me.
Reflect on your post
says...
7:58pm Mon 16 Jul 12
mycroftmill wrote:My comment is of course far from xenophobic, however as your own comments suggest that a few pounds influences you to such a degree then I am more than happy for you to stay away. Best wishes
Reflect on your post wrote:The strange comment here is the response to my original posting :-
mycroftmill wrote:Strange comment. I would like to see common sense prevail and a balance for the people who live in Brighton, the people who live and work in Brighton and everyone else.
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
“if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place”.
Your xenophobic comment is at odds with Brighton’s ethos of inclusiveness and, hopefully, not the view of the majority. If it isn’t petition the Council to change the Welcome to Brighton signs at the City’s boundaries to something you think would discourage more people like me.
mycroftmill
says...
8:28am Tue 17 Jul 12
Reflect on your post wrote:And best wishes to you in the Tyrol.
mycroftmill wrote:My comment is of course far from xenophobic, however as your own comments suggest that a few pounds influences you to such a degree then I am more than happy for you to stay away. Best wishes
Reflect on your post wrote:The strange comment here is the response to my original posting :-
mycroftmill wrote:Strange comment. I would like to see common sense prevail and a balance for the people who live in Brighton, the people who live and work in Brighton and everyone else.
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
“if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place”.
Your xenophobic comment is at odds with Brighton’s ethos of inclusiveness and, hopefully, not the view of the majority. If it isn’t petition the Council to change the Welcome to Brighton signs at the City’s boundaries to something you think would discourage more people like me.
Roy Pennington
says...
9:42am Tue 17 Jul 12
Reflect on your post
says...
9:58pm Tue 17 Jul 12
mycroftmill wrote:Feel free to drop by when you are prepared to make a realistic contribution towards the infrastructure you will be using. In the interim, best wishes for your life in isolation.
Reflect on your post wrote:And best wishes to you in the Tyrol.
mycroftmill wrote:My comment is of course far from xenophobic, however as your own comments suggest that a few pounds influences you to such a degree then I am more than happy for you to stay away. Best wishes
Reflect on your post wrote:The strange comment here is the response to my original posting :-
mycroftmill wrote:Strange comment. I would like to see common sense prevail and a balance for the people who live in Brighton, the people who live and work in Brighton and everyone else.
Reflect on your post wrote:Not a businessman then. Or if you are, not for long.
mycroftmill wrote:Well that's good news then, if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place.
Living in Mid Sussex Brighton used to be our default Town for shopping and eating out. Not now, the cost of parking and running the the traffic calming gauntlet has made us look elsewhere.
“if we could only discourage more people like you from staying away then Brighton would be a much better place”.
Your xenophobic comment is at odds with Brighton’s ethos of inclusiveness and, hopefully, not the view of the majority. If it isn’t petition the Council to change the Welcome to Brighton signs at the City’s boundaries to something you think would discourage more people like me.
Joshiman
says...
11:12am Wed 18 Jul 12
/indian takeaway for a few minutes and move on.No wonder business's are closing down.Especially restaurants/takeaway
s etc
odear
says...
11:22am Thu 19 Jul 12
Reg's Dad
says...
12:26pm Thu 19 Jul 12
Aligned with parking charges, too many buses, is the charge for public transport. a 1.70 fee went to 2.00 GBP - 18% increase - why?
Forcing a new commercial area to develop in the town will only rob income from elsewhere - you need to develop overall prosperity - not for just one small area. If the shops and restuarants don't offer what the comsumer wants , well, they're not going to survive , no matter what incentives are offered.
Lastly, what has been tactfully refered to as "street drinkers". Brighton has a problem - and it looks like a major one. This doesn't just apply to Western Road - but the whole of Brighton. I guess if it's with their human rights to drink all day, then it's within my human rights not to be pestered .... Isn't street drinking illegal?
Bromine Chambers
says...
11:45am Fri 20 Jul 12
Kate234 says...
6:45pm Fri 13 Jul 12