BN News - Autumn 2016

Issue 47

Autumn 2016

Bigbelly bins make short work of extra rubbish

Britain's most successful female Paralympian

Car dealers offered the chance of high-profile sponsorship Page 2

Page 4

Page 3

Market Trends

by David Maslen

Brighton’s new social, cultural and economic quarter

Regenerating the Circus Street area THE CIRCUS STREET DEVELOPMENT The old Municipal Market located on Circus Street in Brighton has lain vacant and unloved for too long.

The redevelopment will turn this site into a vibrant new quarter of the city, an economically and creatively productive neighbourhood where anything from seed swapping to roof-top urban farming and orchard picking sits alongside art, culture, modern living and hi-tech start up business.

The regeneration of Circus Street includes many benefits for Brighton & Hove including an estimated investment of over £200 million into Brighton & Hove over the next ten years and the creation of over 350 jobs. It will deliver two landmark public buildings: The Dance Space, a new home for South East Dance which will be a hub that connects world class artists to the local community and a library and teaching building for the University of Brighton which will also run

a programme of educational courses that will be open to attendance by the local community.

There will be 142 much-needed sustainable new homes, managed accommodation for up to 450 students, to fuel the under supply of dedicated student accommodation in the city and free up much needed family homes in Brighton. The scheme will also deliver a modern office building including over 3,000 sqm of flexible office space to help growing creative and digital businesses remain and flourish in the city.

New green spaces are an integral part of the site and intended for all to benefit from, including a new public square providing a central outdoor space for a range of creative and leisure activities. 78 new trees will be planted on the development as well as wall and roof gardens and allotments for food growing.

U+I, Brighton & Hove City Council, The University of Brighton and South East Dance are entirely committed to ensuring that a new Circus Street is one that has a positive impact on every single person connected with it and pays particular attention to the locality and the benefits that can be brought to the local community.

The third quarter of 2016 slowed slightly due to summer holidays and a less secure post-Brexit market. As we head into Autumn however, the market is once again picking up.

Post Brexit Following on from the Brexit result in June, there was a slight lull in the market as both buyers and sellers held off to see what the impact of the result would be. This caused property prices to dip slightly on the previous quarters.

The market also quietened down over the summer months due to holiday season but towards the end of August we began to see activity pick back up again.

We are seeing a steady increase of houses on the market and buyers are out viewing and offering. Alongside this, the number of high-quality, correctly priced properties for sale is dwindling, which will likely push property prices up again in the Brighton and Hove area.

Interest rate cut The cut in interest rates announced by the Bank of England in early August means hundreds of thousands of British homeowners have seen their monthly mortgage rates reduced, providing an average monthly saving of £22.

The mortgage rate cut, which was experienced by those on tracker mortgages, is also good news for many prospective buyers looking for mortgages as there are now better rates being offered by lenders. However, this does not mean getting a mortgage will be easier for first time buyers.

Andrew Hagge of moneycomms.co.uk, a research firm, told The Telegraph: “While mortgages become more affordable and the cut will help those already in their own homes, it does little for those looking to take a first step on the housing ladder as a shortage of properties are putting home ownership beyond reach for a growing number of people.”

Looking forward to Q4 It’s business as usual as we move forward into the last quarter of 2016. Due to Brighton and Hove’s geographical location - surrounded on both sides by the sea and the protected South Downs - and the city's proximity to London, demand continues to outweigh supply.

Going forward, we predict property prices to remain steady with little fluctuation either way. If we see a continued shortage of properties for sale, however, prices will continue to rise.

VICE-CHANCELLOR IN THE DRIVING SEAT Vice-Chancellor Professor Debra Humphris took to the wheel of a prototype racing car designed and built by a group of engineering students as part of their degree programmes.

Backed by industry and high-profile engineers such as our Patron Ross Brawn OBE, it aims to inspire and develop enterprising and innovative young engineers.

Universities from across the globe are challenged to design and build a single-seat racing car in order to compete in static and dynamic events, which demonstrate their understanding and test the performance of the vehicle.

Dr Coren, Mr Tony Brown (technical Instructor), Marcin Grochowski (student), Professor Humphris and Simon Harvey (student).

University of Brighton students, led by Dr Daniel Coren, Senior Lecturer in the university’s College of Life, Health and Physical Sciences, briefed Professor Humphris about their car during a pit stop

Car dealers are being offered the chance to sign a high-profile sponsorship with Brighton & Hove’s beach lifeguarding team THE COUNCIL’S LIFESAVERS are looking for a firm to provide a free or subsidised 4x4 pickup truck to replace their ageing Ford.

A major selling point for any would-be sponsor is the location where the vehicle is parked on standby - in a layby on the busy seafront road. This would put the sponsor’s name in front of around 30,000 passing vehicles a day, plus a share of around 12 million visitors a year.

The vehicle is used year-round for a range of duties including patrolling the city’s eight miles of seafront. It has even been pressed into service to get key workers to vulnerable residents in snowy weather.

at Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex.

Professor Humphris said: “I was extremely impressed by the car and by the students’ engineering skills and talent.”

Dr Coren said: “Formula Student is an opportunity for students to work as a team on a high-profile project with interaction with academic and industry partners. It is a stepping stone for students’ ambitions for a successful career in engineering. One of the students was interviewed for a position with a Formula One team and all are aspiring to join the automotive engineering industry.”

The car has been manufactured in-house using the university engineering lab’ facilities and a range of rapid prototyping techniques including CAD/CAM CNC machining, 3D printing, laser cutting, plasma cutting, and, as Dr Coren put it, “blood sweat and gears, with students working on the project evenings and weekends.”

The car is designed for short circuit autocross events and is currently geared to for maximum acceleration and a top speed of 70 mph.

Any sponsor would be able to include their name and branding on the vehicle, alongside the council’s own logo.

Any suitable make of vehicle would be considered. A specification available from the council says the vehicle must have four-wheel drive and a low-emission diesel engine, plus other equipment related to its safety and rescue role.

Local car dealerships are being contacted by letter but the council says any other type of company would be welcome if it could meet the vehicle specification.

Any business interested should contact seafront officer Roger De Casanove on roger.decasenove@brighton-hove.gov.uk or telephone 01273 292715.

Planning permission granted for new seafront Shelter Hall

Illustration

Planning consent has been granted for rebuilding the historic Shelter Hall on Brighton seafront. The council’s planning committee agreed the proposal, subject to conditions.

The £11m project is essential because the Shelter Hall has become structurally unsound - a serious matter as it partially supports the A259 seafront road.

Rebuilding will double the commercial space of the building, helping earn revenue for the council. The new structure will be visually similar to, but larger than the original Shelter Hall.

To create more space it will be moved several metres towards the sea, protected by a new sea wall, which is already complete.

The main building would be two storeys including a partial mezzanine. Permission has been granted for restaurant use and new toilets to serve the seafront.

The listed wooden kiosk which once stood on the spot is being rebuilt for installation on the seafront near East Street.

Most of the funding - around £9m - has come from the government, with the remainder coming from council transport budgets.

Brighton’s newest attraction, the British Airways i360, has welcomed well over 100,000 visitors since it opened David Marks, chairman of British Airways i360, said: “We are delighted to be on target, hitting these enormous visitor figures in such a short time this summer and we expect to build on this with the start of our events season.”

Eleanor Harris, CEO of British Airways i360, said: “Reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive and so far we are running 10 per cent over our budgeted visitor numbers.

6,500 local residents have already signed up as members and we have also welcomed hundreds of journalists from around the world, including Australia, USA, France, Germany and Finland.

University celebrates Sarah’s success

Dame Sarah Storey - coached by University of Brighton - became Great Britain's most successful female Paralympian by winning her 12th gold medal on the opening day in Rio. The 38-year-old Para-cyclist caught compatriot Crystal Lane, who took silver, after only 1,375 metres of the C5 3,000m individual pursuit final.

Dr Gary Brickley, Senior Lecturer and exercise physiologist, has been coaching Sarah since 2004 and was in the arena to watch her winning race.

He said: “It was another brilliant performance by Sarah. I knew she was in great shape. Breaking the world record in the morning heats proved how well she had prepared and trained for the

Paralympics.

“In the final it appeared to be a relatively easy win but that is only a product of hard work in training.

“It was a real pleasure to be track-side with Sarah's family to share her historic moment of her 12th Paralympic gold medal.”

Most of Gary’s work with Sarah at the university’s Eastbourne campus has been in the coaching and preparation. He said: “It’s been a real pleasure working with Sarah.”

A new display at Brighton Museum Art Gallery will explore ‘the birth of UK punk’ through 40 photographs by Kevin Cummins and Ian Dickson as the music, fashion and cultural movement celebrates its 40th anniversary.

Exhibiting together for the first time, these vanguard photographers created extraordinary images of new wave bands including The Sex Pistols, The Damned, The Clash, Buzzcocks and Siouxsie & the Banshees, as well as punk poet John Cooper Clarke and catalyst bands like Eddie & the Hot Rods and New York’s The Ramones. As the scene grew they captured the swell of new energy and talent, from The Adverts, The Slits and X-Ray Spex to Slaughter & the Dogs and Joy Division.

22 November 2016 - 5 March 2017

Joan Manchester: Kevin Cummins

Photo-punk: 40 images from the birth of punk will document the phenomenon’s early years of 1976-79, in key locations including London, Manchester and Liverpool. The display, in Brighton Museum’s Prints & Drawings Gallery, will survey Cummins’ and Dickson’s work as they documented the first waves of the new ‘dole queue rock’, capturing the bands, the fans and the mood.

NEWS IN BRIEF City’s primary pupils in top 30 nationally at Key Stage 2 Brighton & Hove is one of the top local authorities in England for its primary school performance at Key Stage 2 (age 11).

Figures released by the Department for Education show that 58% of pupils in the city this year have achieved the expected combined overall standard in reading, writing and maths.

This is against a national average of 52%, putting Brighton & Hove at joint 22nd nationally out of 150 local authorities.

In addition, 7% of pupils have achieved an even higher overall standard in reading, writing and maths, against a national average of 5%.

Councillor Tom Bewick, said: “I’m delighted that we’re so far above the national average.

Academic results are up overall for all age groups in Brighton & Hove, and this reflects the huge efforts our schools and the council’s education team put in to collaborating positively in sharing best practice and challenging under-performance.”

Geophysical survey reveals hidden Preston Park feature Brighton Museum, the University of Brighton and Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society have completed a geophysical survey of Brighton’s Preston Park - and discovered a Second World War secret.

The survey, supported by the Friends of Preston Park, looked beneath the surface of the park to find signs of archaeological activity.

A team completed an initial survey in 2015, with positive findings in the area close to the tennis courts. This year the University of Brighton’s geophysics team returned to undertake a higher resolution survey of this area using a magnetometer, which measures changes of magnetism in the soil and is particularly good at locating metal and burnt/fired objects. The team shared its findings with the public at Preston Manor.

Andy Maxted, Curator of Archaeology at Brighton Museum, who helped lead the overall project, said: “We have identified a large rectangular feature, 18 metres by 40 metres, to the south of the Park’s Chalet Café and north of the tennis courts. Nothing is certain yet but we're pretty sure that the feature is what remains of a Second World War water tank - built to test military vehicles”.

Royal Pavilion Ice Rink at Christmas

Maria’s the tops Maria Fox

Maria Allen Boutique Personalised Honeymoon Luggage Tags

The South East’s most beautiful winter ice rink, the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink, will open for its seventh year from November 5 to January 15 on the Royal Pavilion’s East Lawn in Brighton.

With the former Royal pleasure palace as the backdrop and huge rink-side bar and restaurant with a 40 metre terrace, this hidden gem of a rink is beautifully lit at night and is a great choice for those who want to skate in a twinkling setting as well as sit down to eat après ice.

Situated just 50 minutes from Victoria by train, all of Brighton’s gorgeous independent shops are on its doorstep so visitors can get a little Christmas shopping in too.

The rink is a huge 880 square metres plus an additional beginners’ area and offers penguin skate aids and skate sizes from ‘just walking’ to adult. There’s no charge for spectating for those who prefer to sit and soak up the atmosphere and the stunning rink side Bar & Kitchen offers

mouth-watering patisserie snacks, Christmas treats, a quick drink with the best view in the City and scrumptious sharing platters for families and friends to enjoy.

Ice skating tickets will go on sale at the end of September and cost from £10 for adults (aged 12 and over), £7 for juniors (children under 12) and the one-hour skate times run from 10am to 10.15pm daily. Club Rinkidinks (10am - 11am daily) offers children under five the chance to skate for free when accompanied on the ice by an adult paying full price. There are also season tickets for those who want to learn to skate and great concessions for students. The box office is open from 9.45am to 9.45pm, but it is advisable to book tickets in advance.

Council’s Bigbelly bins able to devour more waste Brighton & Hove City Council has launched a set of solar powered bins that can swallow up to eight times more waste than a normal bin.

The ‘Bigbelly bins’ use the sun’s powerful rays to compact any litter placed inside, meaning they can stomach loads more rubbish.

The 100 hi-tech bins also use super-smart ‘cloud-based’ tracking systems to send messages to the council’s street cleansing teams when they are full and need emptying.

At present staff need to check and empty the ordinary bins every day. However the Bigbellies’ compacting and message systems mean the new bins won’t need daily attention.

The first set of bins were installed at 3 locations - Brighton Rail Station, Queens Road and West Street on the 1st September.

The bins will also be located at other busy pedestrian areas.

The Bigbellies are so effective they are now being used throughout the UK and major cities globally.

Cllr.Gill Mitchell with a bigbelly bin.

University of Brighton graduate Maria Fox has been named Young Businesswoman 2016 for London and the South East - and one of her gift designs is up for a separate award.

Maria Fox is the director of the Maria Allen Boutique, a British brand selling handcrafted design-led personalised jewellery and gifts made from reclaimed and sustainably-sourced British wood, designed and made in her Hove studio.

Maria produced her first hand-made card business aged 14, whilst at school, and developed the foundations for her company whilst studying Graphic Design at the university.

Her products sell online and are stocked in shops, museums and galleries in the UK and internationally. The company has worked on gifts at the British Museum and the National Trust, and its designs have featured in magazines and national TV commercials.

Maria said: “I'm thrilled at winning this award.

I think it is so important for young people to know that it is entirely possible to start up their own business and to create their own dream job. I am proud to have received this recognition and I owe a huge amount of it to my team who have helped make this happen."

“The business has been growing year on year, with the business securing larger premises in 2016, sales have been up 85 per cent in the last quarter and we are also currently hiring more staff to work in our Hove studio.”

She graduated in 2011 and credits the university and beepurple - the university’s entrepreneurship network, made up of students, graduates and staff wanting to develop their skills and business - with helping her start her business.

The awards, sponsored by HSBC, were presented

by Forward Ladies, set up 1999 to “celebrate the success of high-flying female talent and to unlock potential in professional women”.

Published by: Maslen Estate Agents Limited, 39 Lewes Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 3HQ. Tel: 01273 677001 Email: lewesroad@maslen.co.uk Web: www.maslen.co.uk Whilst every care has been taken in compiling this publication Maslen Estate Agents cannot be held responsible for any errors.