Spectacularly located beside the architectural splendours of Lewes Crescent and Sussex Square, Brighton Marina should be one of the jewels in Brighton's marine crown. But developers are instead hoping to use it as a building site for a multi-tower housing estate of over 3,000 homes (today 863) with a density greater than that of Mumbai. It will offer battery-chicken living at free-range prices.
After what could be a decade or more of construction noise, dirt and congestion, the new buildings are destined to tower way above the cliff top, destroying priceless views, overwhelming essential services and recreational facilities and creating traffic chaos, or even gridlock. The developers call this the 'regeneration' of the Marina.
We should be able to rely on our council to protect us. But the planning department seems to regard residents as something of a nuisance, to be appeased from time to time with cosmetic 'consultations' but ultimately to be ignored. So far it seems content with a vision of pack 'em in, pile 'em high flats, built cheek by jowl in one another's shadow; a few luxury penthouses and a lot of cramped flats; a huge housing estate that may well become a magnet for delinquents and petty criminals.
While Brighton is busy repeating the mistakes of the 1970s, the French are correcting theirs. At 1.30 pm on 27 January 2008, a 14-storey block of 500 flats in the southern town of Béziers was blown to bits using 450 kg of high explosives, watched by a cheering crowd several thousand strong.
The mayor of Béziers, who pressed the button, said "This type of building is no longer appropriate for 21st century living. We must turn the page ... and move on to the next phase as fast as possible: the construction of small blocks, individual houses, public spaces and craft workshops".
If the council had spent more time listening to residents, who know and understand the location, plans for the genuine improvement of the Marina could have been brought forward. Instead of this, the council has been working with the developers to produce a tower-block friendly Masterplan for the Marina that would be the beginning of the end for the Marina as an attractive marine leisure venue.
The savebrighton campaign is pressing for these grotesque plans for the Marina to be rejected and will support other groups fighting over-development elsewhere in the city. The more support we have, the stronger we will be, so if you agree with our campaign please tell us ... and join us.
WHY WE MUST ACT
to prevent gridlock and parking chaos
to prevent essential services from being overwhelmed
to improve Brighton Marina and keep it as a marina
to protect the appearance of the sea-front
to protect our quality of life
website first produced 23 October 2007 last modified 27 March 2008