A long time ago in a faraway land – well, in these pages last April – we ran a story about how the Co-op – yes, the caring, sharing Co-op, the place we all used to bank so we could avoid the rapacious capitalists like Barclays and NatWest… that very same Co-op – was looking to take over Seven Cellars and Latina and create a very big Co-op on the Dials. Sorry, that should have read “another very big Co-op on the Dials”. These shops are an integral part of our community and while we all occasionally go to the Co-op – go on admit it. Maybe when you book Red Snapper and forgot to take a bottle – how many Co-ops do you need? The Dials vibe is of independence, of the personal – let’s keep it that way.
You have to search for good things to find in stories like these, but one maybe is how it pulls the community together. Local resident, lovely Emma Thomas (quick round of applause) has been pivotal in this and has written this letter. Please read and circulate. And sign.
Dear neighbours,
I am writing this letter to you because our neighbourhood needs you. We are asking for your kind help to support local shops and restaurants in our community.
Independent shops are the lifeblood of Seven Dials – they give our neighbourhood its distinct character and a lovely feel. They are also vital to living a more sustainable and environmentally-friendly future and one that reflects the dreams and hard work of ordinary people living and working in local communities – rather than large corporations cashing in.
As you may have heard two local small businesses are at risk as the Co-op supermarket chain has bought the lease to their buildings and has threatened them with eviction.
We already have a huge co-op down the road. This means historic shopfronts dating from as early as 1841 could be destroyed. Unless we act it means that we will lose two much-loved local businesses – the Latina Café, which serves delicious Portugese food and The Seven Cellars wine and beer shop. A lot of love, care, sweat and tears have gone into these businesses, and they are popular with residents and tourists – it is devastating for their owners to invest so much hardwork and money and be forced out by big business in this way.
WHAT WE CAN DO AS A COMMUNITY?
Some residents have already been showing they care by boycotting the small grey co-op on the Seven Dials roundabout and also by putting up this notice in their AirBnbs and guest rooms – so tourists who visit the area can also decide if they want to help to make a difference.
There’s a petition you can sign here (put your phone camera over the QR code…
Please also write to the CEO of the Co-op and tell him to get his hands off our lovely Seven Dials.
In late October, Brighton & Hove City Council announced plans to cut and relocate Bright Start Nursery in North Laine, a much-loved nursery known for its experienced, caring staff. It’s been in the Old Slipper Baths building at Barrack Yard since 1989 and is used by several families in West Hill. My own daughter may lose her place if the move goes ahead.
The Council tried to close the nursery last year, but it was saved for the 2023/24 year by a community campaign. This time, the Council are trying to close the nursery by the back door, and have come up with plans to move the nursery into the Tarner Family Hub.
The proposals would decimate the nursery, scrapping provision for under 2s, reducing the number of spaces by about 70%, and reducing the hours and weeks the nursery operates.
“It seems bizarre that the Council is cutting one of the few affordable childcare services in the city centre at a time when many parents are struggling to find affordable childcare,” another parent commented to me.
The Council plans to move the nursery by September 2024, which means the plans are being rushed through. There will be no consultation with the community, and parents are only being offered the opportunity to shape the “operating model” at the new location.
It’s also unclear if there has been a proper examination of alternative options. One possibility might be to relocate the nursery into St Bartholomew’s School, which would help keep both children and schools in the area.
A group of parents at the nursery have launched a campaign – “Save Bright Start” – to try to save this important service. We are calling on the wider community to support us by writing to the leader of Brighton & Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, and the Chair of Children, Families and Schools Committee Cllr Jacob Taylor expressing their opposition to the plans. We have also launched a petition to call on the council to save these services. This can be accessed through the QR code.
Seven and a half years after moving down from London – I know, someone had to do it – to East Sussex, well Hove, actually, I’ve moved up the hill to the Dials. This is my third home here, and I’ve never looked back. I never get bored with the people and vibe of our city, I not sure I could live anywhere else.
A hobby of mine is renovating my homes, being a 41-year-old batchelor certainly gives me the opportunity to live in dusty dwellings from time to time. When I recently sold my last home in Hove, I effectively made myself homeless. I wasn’t sure what my next move was, so on the day of completion, I did the sensible thing and headed to Thailand for a few weeks. Well, what choice did I have? When I returned, I decided to look for my next renovation project. Nothing really caught my eye but then an agent friend of mine called and said I must come and see this flat on Albert Road. West Hill, I thought. Really? Little did I know, but now I feel very happy and fortunate with my move and look forward to meeting more neighbours and making new friends as I settle in. The only thing I still slightly miss is living next door to the sea but however, the village and community feel of where I am now more than makes up for it. It’s such a friendly neighbourhood and I love the Dials itself with the shops, pubs and places to eat not forgetting how unbelievably close we are to Brighton town centre and the station.
OK, it’s time to say it. I’m an estate agent. No, no. Please don’t stop reading. It’s OK. I understand, but really I’m nice. Anyway, I like Victorian and Edwardian style buildings. I’ve always lived in pre 1910 homes and all the properties I’ve sold over my 20-year career in London and Sussex have always been period properties. However, one thing I don’t enjoy as much is the drafts and leaks they offer, especially when living on the coast. My top floor flat has a built-in indoor water feature which really comes alive when it rains, as much as I’d love to keep it, I’ve been trying to get a roofer round this week but funnily enough, they’ve all been rather busy.
Once the roof is fixed, I shall paint the ceiling and then live in the flat for a few months before deciding on which wall to knock down first. I’ve made that mistake before, you move into a new place, refurb it straight away and then wished you’d waited for a while before making any changes. You need to give yourself the chance to really get to know your new home and its quirks, first. It can be a costly mistake if you don’t.
With my business I run a Personal Estate Agency in Brighton & Hove where you only work with me from start to finish. I really enjoy helping people move while often suggesting and pointing out ideas that people may not have spotted. If you want to work with someone who’s proactive, helpful, and knowledgeable be sure to drop me a line.
In the meantime, I am teaming up with The Whistler to start a property surgery where every month I shall be answering any property related questions you may have so please drop us an email and I will do my very best to answer them for you.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and positive 2024.
Russell’s new column starts next time out. If you have any questions about buildings, renovation, indoor water features… send them to The Whistler at jedski@mac.com
Changing the Game: How Brighton’s companies are leading the way to a greener future. Gilly Smith reports
I’m waiting for Ella Byass from Marketing at the new Red Roaster restaurant in New Road on a warm afternoon in November. The nice young waiter asks me where I’d like to sit, and I choose the quieter terrace outside as I’m about to record Ella’s interview. He fiddles with a remote and pops off to get my coffee. He’s turned the heating on. Outside.
It’s not a great start to an interview about Red Roaster’s hard-won battle for B Corp, the global accreditation that aims to shift the behaviour, structure and very culture of capitalism by exacting excellence in every inch of a business. As Ella tells me that they’re one of just 7000 companies in the world to be given its stamp of approval after its rigorous three-year assessment process, I’m still trying to square the heater issue.
Red Roaster has been one of Brighton’s most sustainable companies for years; its coffee roastery in Kemp Town is the only organic coffee roastery in the South East, and its beachfront café, Lucky Beach which won the Food Made Good People’s Favourite Restaurant award in partnership with delicious. Magazine in 2017, has been collecting gongs ever since.
Membership of the Sustainable Restaurant Association keeps the company focussed on sourcing responsibly, which includes supporting farmers who employ good animal husbandry and contribute positively to carbon capture with regenerative farming techniques to keep the soil healthy. The SRA keeps its members up to date on how best to trade, use energy and keep its carbon footprint low, but also how to interact with the community and treat its teams.
In Brighton, they’ve switched all of their delivery vehicles to electric or bikes, and are the largest employer of learning-disabled adults in Brighton. Ella tells me that 75% of their produce for their Brighton cafes are sourced locally; its cider comes from Whistler favourite, Trenchmore Farm which operates its own micro circular economy. Its organic eggs are from Rookery Farm in West Sussex and most of its seasonal produce are from Shrub Provisions, one of the increasing numbers of sustainable food hubs working with regenerative or organic local farms for next day delivery to restaurants. And where it can’t buy local, it supports the farmers’ own communities; Red Roaster’s coffee beans come from Brazil, Honduras and most notably from Rwanda where they run most of their social projects, including building schools and medical centres.
Led by early sustainability adopters, Diana and Mike Palmer, Red Roaster’s B Corp badge is only the beginning. “With B Corp, you have to constantly show how you’re improving” Ella tells me. “They’ll come back in three years’ time and say, ‘Right, this is was great three years ago, but what have you done since?’ We can’t just be like, great, we’ve got the B Corp. They’ll want to know how we’ve reduced our carbon footprint even further. They don’t allow you to use it as a green washing technique.”
As businesses try to attract and retain late millennials and Gen Z into a post Lockdown workplace where all the rules have been thrown out of the pram, sustainability is one of the most popular keywords in the search for employment. According to the Institute for Advertising Ethics, 64% of millennials will no longer work for a company that fails to show a strong corporate social responsibility. The data also shows that Gen Z are so concerned about what their peers think of their employers, that their choices are increasingly those that can prove they’re doing the right thing.
It’s an amazing story, but how will anyone know while the only connection the customer has is with a waiter who turns an outdoor heater on without even asking? Ok, so it turns out that the heaters are solar powered, but the point is how would we know? A brunch with a mate a couple of days after our interview revealed the waitresses weren’t acquainted with the company line either, and the bacon was from Ireland.
“Our sustainability story is on the menu”, Ella tells me. Now, come on; who salivates over the food options, ponders over the cocktails and then scrolls through to the last page to read the diversity pledge? We’re Whistling big time for Red Roaster, but maybe by the time the B Corp team come back to check, their waiters will be wearing the t-shirt.
Of the tiny clutch of B Corp companies in the world, we’ve got quite a handful in Brighton. And if you’re thinking about booking your next holiday, you might like to know that one of them is a sustainable travel company which says that it’s not really very cool to fly at all. “There is no denying the fact that if you fly long haul, it will make up a very, very significant proportion of your year’s carbon footprint,” says Nick Pulley, founder of Selective Asia. You’re not even going to get a virtue signalling offset plan as part of the cost of your flight at Selective Asia. “With an increasing number of reports casting doubt on the benefits of carbon mitigation, we don’t have the necessary clarity and confidence on this approach that we would ideally like,” proclaims the website.
Instead, the travel agency works with Brighton-based carbon calculating company, C-Level which works directly with environmental scientists and communities on the front line of climate change to develop conservation projects that can provide locals with an income. This is not so much about mitigating the impact of travel, but actively supporting local economies to thrive. Call it distribution of wealth.
“Travelling with a tour operator like us means introducing clients properly to the cultures and steering them away from the heavy footfall area”, says Nick. Encouraging them to eat on the streets and in family-run restaurants rather than in the larger hotels means shaking the hands that feeds, while keeping the tourist spend local. Travelling in-country by train not only avoids the carbon heavy short hop flights, but gives the traveller a chance to see the landscape and feel the distance.
Eco-tourism is about understanding impact, and we’ve got to stop flying if we’re to save the planet. But if you’ve just got to make that trip of a lifetime, make sure it helps to secure the D’ering-Dibru Saikhowa Elephant Corridor in the northeast Indian states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh or support Lone Buffalo, the Laos community project giving free English tuition, sport and creative skills tutoring to local kids.
Air Conditioning Unit: harming the appearance of Guildford Road
The owners of number 18 did not seek permission when they installed the air conditioning unit on the front of this corner property. They were held to account by the Council’s Planning Enforcement Team but then made a “retrospective planning application” in an effort to retain it.
This application was inevitably refused with officers saying the unit is contrary to the character of the building and harmful to the appearance of the conservation area.
The neighbouring properties have attractive shop fronts, especially that of “Adrian Robins Interiors” two doors down and this ugly metal box is undoubtedly an eyesore and besides surely unnecessary. It’s therefore surprising that the owners of number 18 have lodged an appeal against the Council’s decision.
Battle of Trafalgar Pub: preserving the appearance of Guildford Road
Whilst residents have expressed some concern about the increase in lighting levels, the application to display a newly designed pub sign (see picture) and install lanterns and uplighters to the front elevation has been approved by officers. The current fashion of painting pubs in dark colours is being followed, in this case a “Mallard” (dark) green which is a radical change from the existing white. The current sign simply carries the name of the pub and the date 1805 but the proposed sign again depicts a scene from the famous sea battle although not the same as the one which disappeared in about 2015. The proposed traditional signwriting is to be welcomed. This is to be in a colour described as “Indian White”. The paint manufacturer describes this as “an extremely flexible, pale, warm white that captures the purity and optimism of a bright spring morning”. After 15 pints on a Saturday night punters might well want to capture that purity and optimism!
Everything you ever wanted to know about life in Brighton (OK, and Hove)
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