Communal bins vote ignores consultation (From The Argus)

Communal bins vote ignores consultation

2:35pm Thursday 25th September 2008 in Search

The plan to spread the communal bins or “black skips” throughout the city has been voted through by Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet (The Argus, September 18). A number of the locations for these bins are in conservation areas, though some squares like Lewes Crescent are exempt presumably because of their historic significance.

So where exactly does this leave residents who live in other designated “conservation areas”?

According to the council’s own website: “These are areas which have been identified as having special architectural or historic interest with a character or appearance that is worth preserving or enhancing.”

However, all this sounds hollow when it appears that the council can conveniently forget these grand statements and legal planning criteria, which are correctly insisted upon for property owners, and think it is quite acceptable to dump black industrial-sized bins in front of other people’s homes with all the associated and well-documented fly-tipping which they encourage.

I am sure the legal justification from the council will be that the bins are not permanent and therefore do not need to adhere to planning criteria, which is of course a completely spurious argument because once they are located – as with the trial area in Regency – they become a permanent fixture.

For the many residents who care about what happens in conservation areas, this whole bins policy is absolutely wrong and completely hypocritical. One could be forgiven for thinking those involved do not care that areas with special architectural or historic interest should be preserved and enhanced.

The full “consultation” results clearly show that many of these historic streets have overwhelmingly stated they do not want the bins. If local democracy is to mean anything these views should be accepted. What was the point in having a consultation if residents views are ignored?

Vicki Davies, Chesham Street, Brighton

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It is worrying that despite protests, Brighton and Hove City Council has decided to go ahead with these bins on the grounds that, apart from on the seafront, “one size fits all”.

In view of the listed status of the 12-house terrace in which I live, I wonder if the council is about to delist it as they have decided to desecrate its appearance by the placement of not one but two of these monstrosities.

If the council decides to delist our terrace then at least we can install sound-proof, unbreakable polycarbonate double-glazed windows to shut out the sound of bottles and cans being pelted at the bin and our windows by drunk youngsters. Under present listing rules, the windows must be pine-framed sash windows with glass panes. These are are particularly vulnerable to breaking.

Margaret Leeds, Upper North Street, Brighton