The West Hill Community Association was one of the14 community groups which formed the coalition “AGHAST” (Action on Gasworks Housing, Safety, Affordability and Transparency) to oppose the proposed development of high-rise blocks on the former gasworks site near the Grade 1 Listed Kemp Town Estate. To the dismay of local councillors, residents and amenity associations a planning inspector representing the then secretary of state Angela Rayner (yes, she) has now overturned the decision of our City’s Planning Committee to refuse the scheme. Our councillors gave three reasons for refusal:
The scheme would represent an overdevelopment of the site with excessive scale, massing, density and heights that are not in keeping with the area, which along with the design and material palette would cumulatively harm the townscape, landscape and seascape of the area and its heritage assets. (It should be noted that the site is not in a “Tall Buildings Zone”).
The under-provision of larger units would fail to meet the identified housing need of the city. (It offers an) unacceptable standard of accommodation for future residents by reason of poor levels of amenity and light to some dwellings.
To rub salt into the wound the Inspector has directed that our City Council pay the costs of developers St William, the nom de guerre of Berkeley Homes. These costs could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds. Berkeley Homes, incidentally, last published profits of £179 million. The Inspector justified his costs decision by describing the Council’s behaviour in opposing the scheme as unreasonable!
A retired professor of architecture at Brighton University has questioned the impartiality of the Planning Inspector, citing the Inspector’s previous support for the suggestion by a “think tank” that “councillors should have no say over deciding applications for new developments”.
The professor further called the scheme a “ghastly overdevelopment”; no wonder Angela Rayner bought her £800,000 seaside flat on the other side of the city in Hove!
Corinne Sweet, The Whistler’s Interesting Person correspondent, talks to Amy Newman, Queen of Pearson Keehan the new estate agent on the block
If your idea of an estate agent is something out of Stath Lets Flats or Dubai: Buying the Dream. Then think again. There’s a new gal on the block and she’s breaking the mould.
Amy Newman is a rare breed: a woman Director of a relatively new estate agent, Pearson Keehan, in Seven Dials. Born and bred in Hove, Amy spent her formative years in the midst of a football-loving household. Her father, Paul, set up and coaches the West Hove Dynamos, a grassroots football club. Her mother, Jayne, does the admin. Amy helps with the social media and advertising. And her brothers, Lee, Ross and Adam, played football and now coach the Dynamos themselves.
“My footballing family gave me a great background training for working as an estate agent”, grins Amy. “I was a bit of a tomboy and being the youngest of four I had to learn to stand my own ground.” Loving the outdoors, she played football, like her three bros, but also did netball and ballet. Amy went to schools in Hove and Brighton (St Andrew’s Primary and Blatchington Mill), and being sports and animal-mad decided she’d train as an animal care assistant.
Leaving school at 16 she went to Plumpton College to learn her trade helping abused, abandoned and sick animals. “I grew up with dogs and cats and really wanted to work with them”, she says. She ended up with a rescue dog, Poppy, who had a heart-wrenching history, plus a mature cat, Edward.
While finishing her Diploma at Plumpton, Amy worked in Pet’s Corner, in Hove, rising to Manager. On graduation she was offered work by a friend in the, now defunct, Brighton Accommodation Agency . It was here Amy began to cut her teeth on the house-purchasing business.
She realised that helping people find a home, buy or sell their properties, was an important skill to have. “In many ways you meet people when they are having a difficult time: divorcing, moving cities or jobs, or after a death”, explains Amy, “You almost are a therapist and you have to understand how to help people”.
Amy’s experience growing up in a robust, but supportive home, and her work with animals, meant she has stacks of common sense mixed with compassion. Like her mother, she is a great organiser and is good at strategic thinking.
Meanwhile, Amy worked for well-known local agencies for 13 years, saved hard and lived at home. She eventually bought her own home near Mile Oak Farm where she lives with partner, Billy, who is an up-and-coming DJ.
However, working in estate agencies has not all been plain sailing. Amy has found the glass ceiling has sometimes been reinforced with heavy-duty concrete by particular types of male colleagues. “It’s sometimes felt like being in a frustrating boys’ club”, she says wryly, “But my experience working with animals had shaped my compassionate approach to people.”
Amy decided to rise above any challenging situations thrown at her at work. “I’ve learned to manage complex and sensitive situations with empathy and understanding”. And certainly, it’s helped Amy succeed in a male-dominated industry.
Now working with Chris Pearson and Kevin Keehan, who happen to be old friends from childhood, their attitudes to work inspired Amy to join them in their new enterprise. Together they set up Pearson Keehan together after the trials of lockdown.
Amy joined on a self-employed basis in October 2024. Tragedy struck in January 2025 and Amy ruptured her Achilles heel playing netball. While injured, Amy used the time to develop new branding, a website and designed the new office at Seven Dials. Ironically, it was the same building she worked in (Mishon Mackay) at the beginning of her career – but it was now getting an Amy makeover. She had gone full circle. Having worked closely with Chris and Kevin for the launch of Pearson Keehan, Amy became a Director when the Seven Dials branch opened in August 2025.
“I have always been really focused on selling and buying houses, which I think is important.” Amy says it’s important for sellers to have a clear strategy and approach to selling in the current uncertain market, which is why it’s important to work with the right agent. She believes it’s important to do your homework and stay positive. Meanwhile, in the office, Amy says she likes to lead from “under the radar” as she has no need to stoke her ego.
Amy is chic, calm and straight-talking. Exuding quiet confidence she believes women are generally more empathic and treat customers well. Plus, she has words of wisdom for any woman wanting to rise to the top in the estate agency business: “Back yourself, know you’ll succeed, but do it your way”.
The Chilli Pickle’s Alun and Dawn Sperring are two of Brighton’s most intrepid restaurateurs and have been travelling through South Asia on a quest for adventure and the best food they can find. They tell Gilly Smith what treasures they brought home.
With kids, Fletcher, now 12, and Stanley, 18 in tow, Alun and Dawn Sperring have spent most of their lives exploring India, from the crazy bazaars of Old Delhi to the hill stations in the western ghats to the tropics in the south and the deserts of Rajasthan.
Much of what they’ve found over the years has made its way onto the menu of their restaurant, the award winning, OctoberBest favourite, Chilli Pickle, now back in its original home in the Lanes. The Laal Maas, a fiery mutton curry comes from an early trip to Jaipur, its deep red chilli colour and a robust taste of whole garam masala served with hot red pickled onions and naan. The lassi, a traditional yoghurt drink seasoned with cardamom and signature tasty milk skin on top, they found served in a clay pot which, once finished, is smashed.
Now they’re back from their latest trips through Kerala, Varanasi, Chennai in India and Lahore in Pakistan with new flavours and stories to tell.
“When we visited Lahore this time, it was all about the nose to tail eating and meat cooked over fire on the streets”, Alun tells me. “We’d go for an early breakfast meal of paya which is goat’s trotter soup, which they’ve cooked overnight for the locals who start work at around 5am. It’s a wonderful way to start the day, a big dose of collagen and protein in one go. They finish the vat and then they start cooking all over again through the night.”
Paya, Chilli Pickle-style isn’t quite the whole trotter, but its broth, cooked down into a sticky consommé, is going down a storm in Brighton. Alun and Dawn pride themselves on offering the real South Asian taste that they’ve found on their countless adventures. Their spicing is honest and unapologetic, and they’re happy to replicate some of the more challenging dishes; even the brain curry has been on the menu. But will the Katakat make it to the specials? “Ooh that was good”, he sighs. “It’s street food that’s a bit like the Japanese Tepanyaki but made with goat testicles chopped up with mixed spice, green chilli and butter.”
I asked him how he can recreate the rich eating experiences of India and Pakistan, the throngs of local workers in the vegetarian canteens, or messes, of industrial Madras, or the unruly crowds at Kebab Corner in Chennai, and the calm of the house boats of Kerala where flat fish is a must. Answer: they don’t. The taste is enough to transport anyone who dreams of India. “We loved the kebabs in Chennai,” says Alun. “We now do the Malai chicken kebab which is topped with a spicy rich cream drizzled with butter and spiked with cardamom and kewra. It’s another level. We accompany all our kebabs with razor thin onion salad with a loose spicy green chutney, so we’re accompanying all our kebabs on the menu that way now.”
The indigenous Keralan pomfret is simply replaced with local plaice in our Kettuvallam Whole Plaice Fry”, he tells me. “It’s just rubbed with a really spicy marinade, ginger, chilli powder, awain seeds, rice flour, fresh lime curry leaf and fried dry and served with a lovely punchy ginger chutney and tempered coconut rice. And it makes a lovely side lunch or dinner special.”
Look out for the Nihari keema kulcha from Lahore with marrow bone gravy, a flatbread stuffed with beef Koobidah and served with a deliciously unctuous sticky spiced marrow bone gravy mopped up with stuffed flat bread.
l The Chilli Pickle – 6-8 Meeting House Lane, BN1 1HB
When I first moved to this country in 2014, I was desperately homesick. Everything made me cry. If I went shopping and saw something unfamiliar, like avocado hummus, I cried. If it was too cold, I cried. Every reminder of how far I was from home was enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I remember one day, sitting in Latina Deli Café, just around the corner from Albert Road where I lived at the time. Adelia, the owner, served me a cappuccino and asked, “Do you want anything else?” What I wanted to say was, “Yes, I want to go home.” But instead, I stayed quiet, holding back tears. She must have noticed, because she gently tapped my shoulder and said, “If you need anything else, I’m right here for you.”
That moment stayed with me. Latina Deli Café became more than just a café. It was a place of comfort, connection, and community. It was my anchor.
So when I learned that Co-op was evicting Latina Deli Café, I felt a duty to act. As Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Actions are judged by their intentions.” My intention was simple: to show Co-op that Latina Deli Café isn’t just a business, it is part of the community’s soul.
Latina Deli Café represents something bigger. It’s cosmopolitan, bringing flavours of Portugal, Spain, and Latin America to Brighton. It’s where strangers become friends, where conversations flow, and where people leave feeling a little lighter.
I also knew the reality. Co-op had acted legally. They bought the building and had the right to evict. But legality doesn’t erase responsibility to the community. My mission was to make them listen.
So I upgraded to LinkedIn Gold and began contacting Co-op’s leadership directly. I emailed their CEO daily, commented on her posts, and made sure the executive team knew what was happening in Seven Dials. At the same time, I organised a community action, not a protest but a gathering, where I gave a speech announcing that I would boycott the Co-op store in Seven Dials.
This activism came at a cost. Online, I received abuse and suspicion, even from some within the campaign. While I expected to give and receive love, I encountered animosity and doubt about my motives. But I didn’t let that stop me. My record in Brighton, from volunteering with homelessness projects to helping keep our parks and squares clean, speaks to my commitment to the community.
Throughout, I stayed in close contact with Adelia. She guided me with wisdom, correcting me when I needed it, and helping me deal with hostility constructively.
Then something remarkable happened. On the day Adelia announced she felt heard and respected by Co-op and was organising a farewell party. I received an invitation to meet their senior executives in Manchester. After weeks of persistent emails, some strongly worded, they were willing to listen.
I travelled to Manchester with a presentation of ideas. I urged Co-op to invest in Seven Dials, to engage with the community, to repair their reputation, and to show they could be more than just a corporate presence. I suggested partnerships with local charities, Brighton & Hove libraries support, and a number of community initiatives. To my surprise, they were receptive. And yet, not everyone in the local campaign welcomed my efforts. I was told I was “campaigning on my own,” when in reality, I was simply staying true to my values.
As a proud British citizen of Palestinian heritage, my approach reflects my culture: to act with integrity, to fight for community, and to speak up when something feels unjust.
The question remains. The community doesn’t want independent shops like Latina Deli Café to disappear. But Co-op has acted within the law, and they are here to stay. Do we keep fighting them, or do we take a pragmatic approach, ensuring their expansion aligns with the community’s needs and values?
For me, the answer lies in dialogue, accountability, and realism. Co-op must show genuine commitment to Seven Dials. And if they do, perhaps we can embrace them, not as a faceless corporation, but as a neighbour who has finally learned to listen.
At the end of the day, a difference in opinion does not mean a difference in love for this community. Shops, corporates and businesses come and go (sometimes forever) but what stays is Seven Dials and its people. The community and its spirit are here to stay.
It’s Tourist Time and your Gull’s favourite season when we birds get busy and clear the streets of the best leftovers we can find. Leaving the chips and kebabs for the teen gulls, your Gull has swooped down to Seven Dials in search of richer pickings at pop ups at The Canopy and Puck.
Now, the gulls were all a-squawk when word got out about the closing of 64 Degrees with its superior snacking opportunities for the more discerning scavenger. So, to find the Great British Menu winner himself popping up at The Canopy in our very own Dials this late summer was greeted with the loudest of caws. This man can cook! Your bird is waddling in his wake as he plans his next restaurant experience later this year.
Popping up at Puck, Marc and Amy at Sedap are following the London trend of excellent Malaysian street food with tofu satay, nasi kerabu and oyster mushroom rendang giving a modern spin on the traditional fare. Your gull can report that the kuih dadar, the rolled crepe infused with pandan juice and filled with grated coconut in Gula Melaka is the kind of dessert to make a bird’s spirits soar. Expect regular pop ups there throughout the autumn.
With a taste of the East in her beak, your Gull catches a thermal over to The Lanes, stopping briefly to sniff out Patio, the new deli/wine bar/café/’cool place to hang’ replacing Grocer and Grain on Upper Gloucester Road. Opening at the end of September, it promises to be a much-needed tasty space to meet by the train station.
Landing in Ship Street, your Gull finds Bookie, founder and executive chef at Namo Eats at The Eagle and junior co-owner at No No Please has just finished a stint at The Sidewinder and opened her own restaurant, Namo at 24 Ship Street. On Thai small plates with seasonal ingredients woven into the dishes, the menu is largely from her home in the north of Thailand and reflects more of who she is than she’s been able to show under the wing of the previous establishments. Your Gull was particularly pleased to hear that she plans to bring her Thai cookery classes to Ship Steet, making it a place where people can enjoy good Thai food and share stories of the culture and roots behind it, just as Great Uncle Gulliver used to do for us young gulls on the back of his travels.
A sated bird, full of excellent scraps and meaty stories of culture and enterprise, your Gull glides home against a setting sun, tucking a happy head under a weary wing. The tourist season may soon be winding down, but the scent of Octoberbest is already nestling in her nostrils and feeding her dreams.
Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)
The Whistler 