[Brighton] Is Brighton & Hove as a city getting better, or getting worse?

[Brovion]

The answer is that it's getting better in some ways and worse in others.

Worse: the vandalism, the tagging, the expense of housing, the influx of Londoners, the crumbling Arches, the empty shops, the ridiculous i360, the crime, the potholes, La Cappanina has closed, still bugger all happening at Black Rock, too many student properties, the Manhattanisation of Lewes Road.

Better: the North Laine, the explosion of decent places to eat and drink, especially at beach level along the seafront, Albion shirts everywhere, the sheer vibrancy of streets such as London Road and Lewes Road that were once drab and down-at-heel, the new hospital building, the Amex, Albion in the Premier League.

It could be better, but it's still one of the best places to live in the UK.

Good analysis. I too think London Road is pretty good, a 'proper' vibrant city street. A city can't be all twee little pedestrianised walkways and expensive boutiques, although there is a place for them as well - and Brighton has them.

Ditto Lewes Road up to the Gyratory, then when it gets into the Education Quarter as you say it gets a bit bleak and functional, although I think the architecture is pretty good.

 

[BLOCK F]

I have never lived in Brighton so I am ill equipped to comment in any kind of detail, but used to love it in my much younger days, some 50 plus years ago. As many have said on here, there are good and bad bits and some things have improved and some have gone the other way, rather like Bournemouth, a place that I am more familiar with. Although, I think more aspects of Bournemouth have deteriorated than have improved.
My slightly younger sister has lived in the Fiveways area for quite a number of years and loves Brighton and whilst we like to visit, we could never envisage living there.

 

[Brovion]

I have never lived in Brighton so I am ill equipped to comment in any kind of detail, but used to love it in my much younger days, some 50 plus years ago. As many have said on here, there are good and bad bits and some things have improved and some have gone the other way, rather like Bournemouth, a place that I am more familiar with. Although, I think more aspects of Bournemouth have deteriorated than have improved.
My slightly younger sister has lived in the Fiveways area for quite a number of years and loves Brighton and whilst we like to visit, we could never envisage living there.

Ah well if she lives in Fiveways of course she loves Brighton! We are the 'shining suburb on the hill'!

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Ah well if she lives in Fiveways of course she loves Brighton! We are the 'shining suburb on the hill'!

suburb. suburb what the heck, I thought you lot lived in a village !!

Fiveways should move to Hove, it is that up it's own arse, it has the greatest number of out of towners from London and beyond that live there and don't they like to tell you.....

Fiveways my arse, your just a school catchment area stop off until the kids leave school then you will feck off to Lewes and beyond moaning about town all the time "oh I never go into town, it's grotty"
bleating on about diversity but ensuring your kids don't go to a more mixed school of abilities and diversity.....

god I hate fiveways.....

throws grenade and walks away.....

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

suburb. suburb what the heck, I thought you lot lived in a village !!

Fiveways should move to Hove, it is that up it's own arse, it has the greatest number of out of towners from London and beyond that live there and don't they like to tell you.....

Fiveways my arse, your just a school catchment area stop off until the kids leave school then you will feck off to Lewes and beyond moaning about town all the time "oh I never go into town, it's grotty"
bleating on about diversity but ensuring your kids don't go to a more mixed school of abilities and diversity.....

god I hate fiveways.....

throws grenade and walks away.....

Used to live in Fiveways and now living in Hove

Not disagreeing!

 

[Brovion]

suburb. suburb what the heck, I thought you lot lived in a village !!

Fiveways should move to Hove, it is that up it's own arse, it has the greatest number of out of towners from London and beyond that live there and don't they like to tell you.....

Fiveways my arse, your just a school catchment area stop off until the kids leave school then you will feck off to Lewes and beyond moaning about town all the time "oh I never go into town, it's grotty"
bleating on about diversity but ensuring your kids don't go to a more mixed school of abilities and diversity.....

god I hate fiveways.....

throws grenade and walks away.....

You missed out "And you all vote Green despite having big cars "

Anyway ..... we forgive you for your unkind words. That's the sort of people we are.

 

[Sirnormangall]

What's wrong with our parks!? Preston Park, Hove Park, the Level (not amazing but hardly in a state and the playground there's brilliant for kids), St Anns Well, Hollingbury Hillfort, Coney Wood, Benfield Valley, and of course Stanmer Park! All great parks

Yes the parks are great generally and we’re lucky to have so many but the maintenance of some of them is really poor and the blame for that doesn’t just rest with the council - it’s as much to do,for example, with the people who don’t pick up their dog excrement and the youths who vandalise facilities. Waterhall and Happy Valley spring to mind

 

[BN41Albion]

I agree with a vast part of your post EXCEPT VG3 - nothing but a very expensive vanity project at a high price to the local taxpayer that will cause traffic chaos. It's attempting to solve a problem that isn't real.

Yeah, I guess you're right there. BUT it'll look a lot nicer, at least

 

[BN41Albion]

Yes the parks are great generally and we’re lucky to have so many but the maintenance of some of them is really poor and the blame for that doesn’t just rest with the council - it’s as much to do,for example, with the people who don’t pick up their dog excrement and the youths who vandalise facilities. Waterhall and Happy Valley spring to mind

I don't know, all the parks I mentioned (exception The Level to an extent) seem pretty well kept to me - can't comment on Happy Valley but I think we're pretty lucky overall with the amount of great green spaces we have for the size of the city

 

[Chicken Run]

Anyway we have a new Aldi to look forward to at the top of snakey hill which will cause traffic chaos and a new sorting office in Patcham, bravo

 

[clapham_gull]

I think London Road is a dump , it reminds me of Streatham high road , as do western road , Boundary Road,

Which bit ?, Streatham High Road is 2 miles long.

 

[wellquickwoody]

As a kid in the 70s/80s Brighton always seemed tatty. Binmen on strike, unloved seafront now everyone had foreign holidays, amenities closing (ice rink, Black Rock pool etc). Then the 90s came along and things seemed to look up, ‘place to be’, great nightlife, new hotels and a great vibe. Then once again the investment seemed to run out and things began to slip.

Emigrated in 2017, returned for a holiday in 2019. Again it seemed run down, but the overriding impression was that no one cared, even the council. Now this is not the most important thing in the world, but it leaves a lasting visual image, weeds in the street. Not flat things in between the slabs on the pavement, or clumps of grass against peoples front walls, but f***ing six foot giants lining the length of Old Shoreham Road from central Brighton to the Southwick border. It just looked bloody awful.

Visiting again next year hopefully, maybe things have changed again.

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I love coming back to Brighton but maybe that's because I come back as a tourist.

I love the fact that it has the downs to the north and the sea to the south. Where I grew up both were accessible in under 10 minutes walking.

I think the north Laine and the lanes are great and there's loads of green space within the city itself, the seafront between the piers is really nice plus the Pavillion is a mad, cool building to have sitting in the centre of town.

The downside is the main streets are pretty shit - queens road, western road, north street, west street, Churchill square. These places need a lot more love and attention, they look really run down.


The seafront between the palace pier and the marina is ok but could be better and it's shameful how they've let the arches fall into such a state of disrepair.

It's also disappointing that local amenities like the ice skating rink and king Alfred have been closed and not replaced and that whenever I see a new building it seems to be expensive flats.

Overall it still a great place to come back to visit.