Dear Editor
Through your Letters’ column, I should like to express my shock and dissatisfaction with the decision of the Council’s planning committee to refuse permission to Community Base, a unique organisation in the town centre, offering office accommodation to charity groups, to use its large ugly wall as advertising space. The site is a prominent spot on the route from Brighton station to the city centre and sea front. Although planning decisions may only be made on the information known and according to conscience, not on political or financial grounds, the committee heard several times of the Tories’ disgust that this site had been used to display a Green Party poster. That, and the fact that the Tory councillors forced a decision on the Green and Labour members, who were in favour of granting the application would seem to make it clearly a political decision. What price conscience now?
Iris Gardener, Seven Dials

Dear Residents of West Hill
The Council is now in the process of producing guidance pamphlets to advise on Permits, PCNs, Blue Badge Holders, and general parking in Brighton & Hove. A site visit is planned to try and rectify issues of confusing signs and lines that have been raised by shopkeepers and motorists in the Melville and Dyke Road area. The Dropped Kerb problem is an on-going subject of discussion between the Council and our team. They are trying to convince us that the parking bays outside the drive-in access to people’s homes in Wilbury Avenue and other areas is perfectly legal. It cannot be legal to prevent use of the driveway into your own house by allowing vehicles to park across your access using Pay and Display. I will take this up with the Assistant Sustainable Transport Manager, Mark Prior, at the next meeting of The Transport Partnership.

The change of double yellow lines back to single ones is a possibility in certain areas but might need the local Ward Councillor to speak to residents of the affected areas about this. Personally, I do not think that it should be an issue requiring a petition as the residents did not ask the lines to be changed in the first place. They were not consulted on this matter and should not have to ask for them to be reinstated. As there is a lack of disabled bays, the only option to use a Blue Badge for an overnight stay is a single yellow line. If you park on a double yellow line with a disabled Blue Badge you have to move it to a different area every three hours. Not very practical for anyone, let alone a disabled person. Extended hours of operation for the permit bays is something the Council is not prepared to change without the consultation of residents and their Ward Councillor. The local Ward Councillor, Pete West, will also be at the Transport Partnership meeting. I will speak to him about the issues and report back to you in the next issue of The Whistler. Please contact me with your queries and problems via our new email address theppp@gmx.com or call me on 07768 002328 between 11am and 6pm.
Steve Percy, (chairman) PPP