draft minutes London Road LAT 7th June 2016

London Road L.A.T. Tuesday 7th June, 2016

Minutes

I. Welcome, introductions and apologies:

In Attendance:

Sandy Crowhurst- North Laine Community Centre

Jesse Wilde – Equinox

Claire Peace – Sussex University Housing, dealing mostly with homestay students

Lucy Walker- Housing Officers, University of Sussex-Provides information on courses for students, community engagement work

Sharon Burke-PCSO

Nicola Harrison-PCSO

Mark & Daphne de Boissiere – Residents Warleigh Road

Corinne Lamb- Know your Neighbour Gloucester place

Penny Morley – Older Peoples Council, local resident

Lindsay Debach – minute-taker

Philip Wells – chair

Richard B- Stroudley Road

Cath Prenton- Beaconsfield Road

Councillor Louisa Greenbaum – BH City Council

Apologies:

Amanda Healey, Andy Keeffe – UOB, Andy Winter, Mike Hedgethorne, Tony Firmin,

Lucy Dunleavy – Vice Chair, Mary Louise- Town team

II. Minutes of last meeting

  • Minutes were approved

It was agreed to keep the date of the next meeting as 12th July 2016

III. Policing report, priorities and Licensing

  1. Street homeless, begging, rough sleeping

  • PCSO Sharon had a meeting w/ COOP who decided against civil action against rough sleepers as it’s too costly (£3,000 to take the man to court)

  • Alternatives include fencing it off

  • Gentleman had been housed, but lost property through crime

  • Can’t get a section 35 issued for this person (only issued by Inspector Brian McCarthy)

  • Cllr Greenbaum Louisa suggested contacting Claire Moonen (sp?) as it is a problem of national legislation

  • PCSO Sharon suggested going higher up within the authorities

  • Suggested doing a targeted day a month:

  • Jesse W. suggested asking rough sleepers team to help police in dealing with street homeless. He strongly advocated the police taking a more assertive approach as this would motivate rough sleepers to engage with service providers. The people outside Aldi and Co-op were tending to get settled with steady income from begging etc and this made it more difficult to get them to engage.

ACTION POINT

 Phil W. will write a letter on behalf of the LAT to Chris Veal and copy Neville Kemp, and Clair Moonin (sp?). Jesse W. is happy to add on behalf of Equinox.

2. The Level

  • Had an operation scheduled but got cancelled

  • Richard: someone has taken down two swings (perhaps due to health and safety)

  • No other new business to report

ACTION POINT

Cllr Louisa Greenbaum to check into why swings have been taken down.

3. Legal Highs:

  • Law on legal highs has changed to include “spice” etc.

  • Jessie W. reported many people coming to ask at Equinox about the new laws in place

  • PCSOs reported there hasn’t shown to be an increase in violence as expected

  • Jessie W. said for harm minimisation cannabis is better than spice

  • Hemp Works on London road was thought not to be selling spice and are not suspected to be selling an illegally-stashed supply (though one shop was found with a stash). No one was able to confirm that Hemp works had been selling legal highs.

4. Licensing-B&W Stores:

  • a reply was sent regarding B&W stores and licensing issues

  • Everyone agreed with Phil’s response which was read aloud, stating the following:

    • the LAT’s unanimous vote to oppose the removal of conditions that prohibit selling single cans of alcohol

    • Staff at B&W stores should be trained and certified in order to sell alcohol

    • London Road remains a potential problem for street drinkers so conditions/rules should not be relaxed

5. Future plans for policing via Insp. Brian McCarthy:

PHIL W.

  • New regime comes into effect in July, all but 3 PCSOs will be taking redundancy

  • In Sept Central (whole area) will have 8 new PCSOs: 11 + 1.5 Sergeants (Chris Durrant + AJ)

  • In new contracts PCSOs can be moved around and brought in and out.

  • On 4th December, temporary PCSOs will go to their 1st choice and 4 will stay in Brighton

  • In total there will be 11 brand new PCSOs making 11+4=15

  • Up until December, PCSOS will be short staffed. Only 3 of the remaining people will  have an idea of current issues/happenings in London Road area

  • From December 2016, PCSOs will be comprised of all new people, and we will be lacking experienced people who know what’s happening

CLLR LOUISA

  • Why are new PCSOS taking redundancy if so many new are coming in

PCSO SHARON B.

  • Didn’t expect so many people to take redundancy (which was an option)

  • Trying to get training done by December

  • By 3rd of July there will be 4 PCSOs out who know what they’re doing

  • They are using some non-local PCSOs (some experienced) for three months and making them do a stint in Brighton to support the lacking force

  • Hanover, Queens Park, London Road will now all be covered by 1 person rather than 6

  • Will be very thin until December then there will many new people to settle in

PHIL W.

  • Local traders are being asked to considered a business improvement district; the funding they put in for that could be used to keep the Town Centre Liaison Officers going.

  • Traders may not have an idea of the full extent of this lack in PCSOs

  • Into the Autumn Insp. McCarthy says he will endeavour to get a PCSO to attend if possible but not the same one each time.]

6. Farewell to Nic and Sharon

  • Phil Wells expressed deep gratitude to Nic and Sharon for their exceptional hard work and on behalf of the LAT wished them well for the future.

PCSOs

  • Because of way the police is going, we are leaving

  • Keep reporting what you see

PENNY M.

  • In writing to express thanks for the PCSOs, could we ask the police force (via PCC Katy Bourne) what plans they have going forward

  • Could they provide details of how they will move on with such low numbers?

IV. Planning – comments on University of Sussex building plans

  • We have been asked to comment on a the new building project on Sussex Campus:

    • target date for comments is 8th July

    • East Slope development which includes plans for 1,868 student bedrooms

PHIL W

  • University of Sussex campus is outside our constitutional boundaries.

  • We have found Abacus i.e. purpose-built accommodation for post-grad students – by an large – to have had a very good effect on the area.

  • The LAT says if this accommodation has the effect that when students move out from Year 1 in purpose-built accommodation they then go and seek to move into extra HMOS, then it isn’t helpful. It depends on whether student numbers increase more than or less than the proposed new addition of accommodation.

LUCY W.

  • By the year 2020, they want to have gotten in 18,000 students

  • This accommodation is in line with the growth they want to see by then

  • Have a waiting list of students waiting to get into campus accommodation

  • Cannot use Abacus House in this case because it is Post-Graduate housing

CLAIRE P.

  • 40% will be living on campus, 60% will be in the community 20% will reside at home addresses (with their families)

PHIL W.

  • Abacus house has been a positive part of London Road Regeneration

  • If the accommodation is part of expanding University numbers so that the extra accommodation doesn’t keep up with the extra numbers, then that would have a less-positive effect on our area

  • There is a planning application on the web target date is 8th July, so wouldn’t work to comment at the next LAT meeting

  • Quite often the target date is not achieved due to pressure on the planning office.

CLAIRE P.

  • If you felt that you needed further information or further presentation that could be organised

V. Viaduct Road

1. Clean-Up Day:

PHIL W.

  • HMO list – and individual properties – is up on website

  • clear-up day courtesy of University of Sussex & City Clean – June 29th from 12pm

LUCY W.

  • my colleguges understood that Viaduct road was priority

  • Wednesday 29th June with City Clean

  • With High Vis gear and will go up Viaduct road and clear the rubbish (will pass round volunteer sheet)

  • City clean is coming with a truck and equipment and will be writing to the residents of Viaduct road to notify them of the cleaning day

  • Will try to re-use/ recycle any product we can and speak to City Clean about what items to keep and what to leave

  • We currently have about 13 people signed up from the uni to help

  • Have an estimated 15 houses that have rubbish in front and will be targeted for clean-up

Action point: Phil to email round Lucy’s email about clean up day to LAT mailing list

2. Planters:

CATH P.

  • looks like plants are doing well, some plants missing but hoping it was just the recent wind and bad weather

  • residents were pleased that someone was doing something, thought we were from the council

3. Communal Bins Consultation (What Counts as a “Yes”):

CLLR LOUISA

  • had not heard back from council yet on this

  • every council is different

PHIL W.

  • specifically applies to Viaduct and Beaconsfield road and is not a general thing for the whole area

  • Would be helpful to know when the consultation was

VI. HMO meetings (next one is 8th June)

CATH P.

  • Spoke with private housing team and has gotten an odd response

  • ‘they can’t control’ HMO’s with no license

  • they are not doing checks to see if those who apply for an HMO have a right to receive one

  • no double checks for planning applications

  • seems to be a big problem with this – not least in staffing provision.

Action Point:

Cath P. will go to the meeting and flag up lack of communication between departments

SANDY C.

VII. Future dates and outline plan

  • Future Meeting Dates Include: July 12th, August (no meeting), September 6th, October 4th, November 15th, December 6th

  • to invite, PCC Katy Bourne, Cllr Tracey Hill – other local reps??

  • Richard B. suggested Brighton and Hove buses

  • Phil W. suggested Maureen from Triangle Group

Action Point:

Lucy and Phil will talk about it and determine who will come at some point over the summer

VIII. Updates and news

  • BID – London Road Town Team

  • DRARA, Rose Hill, Communities of the Level, Triangle, Roundhill, Francis Street

  • Pavements under New England Bridge

    • Network rail cannot do anything about the failing pigeon netting under the bridge (due to lack of funding) .

    • Urging friends of the Greenway to complain via online contact form

IX. AOB

Feed Back from Festivals:

  • Cllr Louisa G. Asking now for feedback on events from the festivals

  • Reporting of Stabbings and staff getting beaten up during Spiegel Tent and the Warren

  • Will discuss again next time

X. Close

  • Meeting closed at approx. 20:00