BRIGHTON Council Leader Nancy Platts, writing in The Argus (Jan 21st), said that the new Shelter Hall on the sea front was a prime example of local people benefitting from prosperity in the city, something she called community wealth building.
In the same edition of the paper two pages, and the Comment column, were devoted to the subject of Madeira Terrace, comparing it to the likes of the West Pier and the Hippodrome Theatre.
These four buildings have some things in common, but one crucial difference.
They were all built at the latter end of the 19th century - the Terrace in 1890, the Pier in 1866, the Hippodrome in 1897 and the Shelter Hall in the 1880's.
Over many years there was much discussion about how they should be preserved, with the talking still on-going as the pier rotted away and the majority of it sunk beneath the waves, as numerous
grandiose plans were proposed for the theatre , none of which ever came to fruition, and talk about the umpteen millions of pounds that are needed to restore the terrace, with apparently over half a
million needed just to find a design team. And the crucial difference that I mentioned?
Well, to use Ms. Platts own words ;"The original building has been demolished.... and the new Shelter Hall is emerging from behind the hoardings".
And perhaps that is the answer; Stop the endless chatter, knock them down
and start all over again. The past is the past.
What suited residents and visitors over 100 years ago is not what they want today.
Ms Platts and her colleagues need to set-to and produce 21st century buildings suitable for the city's 21st century residents and visitors; let's have more spanking new Shelter Hall buildings and less
patched up relics of the past. It could well turn out cheaper to start from scratch than trying to reproduce what is there at present.
You have succeeded with one Ms Platts. Well done! Just three more to go!
Eric Waters, Lancing
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