Latest news with #Brighton&HoveCityCouncil
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Holiday let crackdown to be discussed by council
A crackdown on holiday lets could be on the cards if Brighton & Hove City Council's cabinet backs tougher measures. Council officials are exploring ways to regulate, licence and register short-term lets after a report raised fears that they were driving up rents in the city and putting a strain on rubbish and recycling services. A report from the council's Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee found as many as 6,000 homes were being used as short-term and holiday lets. Green councillor Ollie Sykes said: "Basically, there is nowhere to rent in Brighton and Hove any more. It's all Airbnb which is absolutely crazy." Mr Sykes said that short-term lets affected housing availability in Brighton and Hove, adding that 2,100 homes in the area were for rent on the website Rightmove. The report also suggested that some short-term letting businesses could be avoiding paying business rates, prompting calls for any tax loopholes to be closed, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. The report also said that short-term lets tended to produce more rubbish and recycling than regular homes, with visitors putting their waste out on the wrong days. The scrutiny committee discussed steps taken by other councils, including in Blackpool where a holiday lets zone had been established in the strategic plan for the area. The cabinet could propose creating a zone or zones where Airbnbs are permitted and where they are not usually to be allowed as work gets under way on the new city plan for Brighton and Hove. The issue is expected to be discussed when the cabinet meets at Hove Town Hall on 26 June. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Council discusses holiday let controls in city Calls for action against short-term holiday lets Renting costs in Brighton 'out of this world' Brighton & Hove City Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rugby festival celebrates 100 days until World Cup
Over 100 girls from schools across Sussex are set to take part in a touch rugby festival on Wednesday to celebrate 100 days until the start of the Women's World Cup. Teams from 13 primary schools will take to Hove Rugby Club in a bid to get more girls into the sport ahead of the competition beginning in England in August. Brighton will host two games in the world cup, including one of England's group stage games, with the competition beginning on 22 August. Geraldine Brown, chairwoman of Hove Rugby Club, said: "As a host city the excitement is just building and we can't wait to welcome the teams and supporters." She added that it was "important" for the club to support the local community and rugby in schools. The festival comes as momentum builds behind the tournament, with over 275,000 tickets sold according to organisers. The event will be attended by representatives of Premiership Women's Rugby club Harlequins and rugby and mental health charity Maddy's Mark. The Women's World Cup trophy will also visit Sussex from Saturday to Monday as part of a national tour of the host cities ahead of the competition. The trophy will be in place at the Brighton i360 on 17 May before moving to Haywards Heath Rugby Club on 18 May and back to the i360 on 19 May. Brighton & Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said: "We are so excited to be welcoming the 2025 Women's Rugby World Cup trophy to the city this weekend, and we hope residents across the city will join us to celebrate this historic moment. "We are incredibly proud to have been chosen as a host city for the prestigious tournament, which will raise the profile of women's sport and showcase our sporting city on the world stage." The Amex Stadium at Falmer will host two games in the group stages of the competition with the Red Roses facing Australia on 6 September and current holders New Zealand playing Ireland on 7 September. England recently won their fourth straight Six Nations Grand Slam and enter the competition having lost just one game since March 2018 - the World Cup final in November 2022 against New Zealand. More tickets for the tournament are also set to be released at 09:00 BST on Wednesday. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. The first Sikh woman to play rugby for England City hopeful Women's Rugby World Cup will inspire Beach renamed in preparation for Rugby World Cup Women's Rugby World Cup 2025 Brighton & Hove City Council
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Petition opposes 'alienating' red route plans
An online petition opposing a proposed 'red route' traffic restriction in Brighton and Hove has collected over 900 signatures. Florist Pauline Ford set up the petition against the vehicle stopping rules outside her shop, claiming they "risk alienating a significant portion of our customer base". Brighton & Hove City Council's cabinet agreed in principle in March to create red routes on Western Road and Queens Road, and make existing restrictions permanent. The council's cabinet member for transport, Trevor Muten, said: "We're committed to working with traders, residents and visitors to ensure our red routes work well for everyone." Red routes, marked with signage and double red lines, bar motorists from stopping apart from in designated bays. Ms Ford said her Western Road shop would find loading larger floral arrangements challenging, struggle to take deliveries, and would not be able to have its window cleaner park outside. She said in the petition: "This red route could disproportionately affect those who rely on assistance to access our businesses. "Customers with disabilities, elderly patrons and those with limited mobility often depend on close and convenient parking or drop-off points." The council expects to implement the red route by the end of 2026, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Mr Muten said the Western Road red route would "go a long way in helping to keep this busy part of the city safe and moving" and the existing restrictions had prompted "a lot of positive feedback". "They've made travelling in those areas safer and journeys less congested and more reliable," he added. Brighton & Hove City Council will meet with Western Road traders when the proposal goes to public consultation later in 2025, the councillor said. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Red routes will impact business, say traders More no stopping 'red routes' planned for city No stopping rules introduced on Brighton roads Local Democracy Reporting Service Brighton & Hove City Council
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Tree inoculation aims to tackle disease spread
A city's tree inoculation programme to tackle the spread of elm disease will begin in May, the council says. The annual project will this year see about 1,400 elm trees in Brighton and Hove injected with an organic, non-toxic control agent designed to protect them for a year. Brighton & Hove City Council said the programme was being expanded in its third year to include more trees in parks. Councillor Alan Robins, cabinet member responsible for trees, said: "We carefully select important areas of the city where we know inoculations will have the greatest effect – especially when it comes to protecting some of the older and historically significant elms we have." The council said the programme was just part of the work done to protect the city's trees, and that felling was "only ever done as a last resort" to prevent spread. Some residents have previously complained about the disruption, as well as the environmental impact of felling tress in the city as part of plans to control the disease along with ash dieback. Concerns have been raised about protected species and felling work destroying their breeding ground. The inoculation programme will take about two weeks and is scheduled to start at the beginning of May. The council says the elm trees will be injected with a biological vaccine called DutchTrig. It contains a type of fungus which prompts a defensive response to elm disease, which is spread by the elm bark beetle. But the council said it cannot prevent the spread through root transmission. Areas which have been treated annually since 2023 include Old Steine, Pavilion Gardens, Victoria Gardens, Valley Gardens and The Level among others. New areas to be treated in May are Queen's Park, Hove Park, Hove Rec, St Ann's Well Gardens, Saunders Park, Blakers Park and Wish Park. Residents are asked to help by not buying or bringing in logs for firewood if the supplier could not guarantee that the wood wasn't elm. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Diseased tree felling resumes amid public concern Public meeting to discuss diseased tree felling Hundreds of trees to be felled due to disease Brighton & Hove City Council
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Historic houses to be turned into student flats
A £4m scheme to refurbish two Grade II listed Georgian townhouses and convert them into student accommodation is to begin. The project, at 52-53 Old Steine in Brighton, will transform "underused" office space into 33 bedrooms near to the seafront, architects said. The site is within the Valley Gardens Conservation Area, one of the city's most historically and architecturally significant parts, typified by iconic regency architecture. The scheme's architects, Able Partners, said it would see the site "restored to its original, residential purpose, while integrating a contemporary design". Bill Webb, chief executive of Able Partners, said: "We're delighted to ensure that empty office space in the heart of Brighton is sensitively returned to residential purpose. "We intend to preserve as much of the internal layout as possible, restoring historical features such as the staircases, joinery and decorative elements." Prior to its conversion for office use, 52 Old Steine was a fashionable social hub and open green used by 18th Century fishermen. It later became home to Lt Gen Sir Arthur Benjamin Clifton, a veteran of the Battle of Waterloo. Construction is due to begin in the summer and it is hoped the buildings will be ready to house students in autumn 2026. Planning permission was granted by Brighton & Hove City Council in July 2024. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Final phase of seafront development given go ahead Brighton & Hove City Council Able Partners
