A Very Real Problem: Lack of Sports Facilities in Brighton & Hove

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Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,763
The Fatherland
Is there anybody in the council who champions sport in the city? Do we have a sports development team and if we do who is in charge?

Does it matter? Once all the local busy-bodies get to work and moan endlessly that the new leisure centre is not in the Regency stylee it will get canned.
 




When I had my shop in Gloucester Road 6-7 years ago, I found the NLCA people quite rude and hostile, before I'd even stated an opinion on a given subject.

Looking at this particular piece on the Brighton Society's website:

http://www.brighton-society.org.uk/?p=3213

Whilst I agree with their criticism of too many people being crammed into this development their idea that office space can be transferred to the old Amex building in Edward Street is not workable. The site of 154 Edward Street has been sold to Brighton University and the 'Wedding Cake' is due for demolition in 2016 hopefully paving the way for a much better development in Edward Street.

It's much like this website - all about opinions!
 














Rich Suvner

Skint years RIP
Jul 17, 2003
2,500
Worthing
There was going to be an arena at Black Rock but the funding dried up for it, and there was also problems with transporting 10,000 people to and from it for gigs. Shame, would love to have seen it built and Brighton get a hockey team. As for the King Alfred we could have had a Frank Gehry masterpiece, including a new modern leisure centre but the nimbys foiled that plan.

Should the i-360 ever get built it should prove a massive boost to that area and Preston Street in particular, i personally think it would be hit and the council would get it's money back. Also I believe the money the council has promised to the project comes from a non council-tax source.

Frank Gehry masterpiece?

Really?

It was a watered down Gehry design to accommodate the standard commercial requirements of a largescale housing development.

With a very average leisure facility thrown in for residents.
 




ditchy

a man with a sound track record as a source of qua
Jul 8, 2003
5,251
brighton
That's the fella.

Having seen the waves break over that arm over the last few weeks , there is no way i would want to live in any of the floors below 15 stories , and imagine the window cleaning bills , forever cleaning due to salt !
 


symyjym

Banned
Nov 2, 2009
13,138
Brighton / Hove actually
Does it matter? Once all the local busy-bodies get to work and moan endlessly that the new leisure centre is not in the Regency stylee it will get canned.

Completely disagree, it's the housing and other developments included in leisure developments on council planning policies that create the problem.

There is always a percentage of affordable and unaffordable housing with mixed development that always ends up being the visual problem. A complete state of the art leisure centre would be welcome by the majority and would come under far less scrutiny.

Personally I think it is good to put a name to our sports development officer and to not think that it matters is one of the problems we have. Apathy!
 






symyjym

Banned
Nov 2, 2009
13,138
Brighton / Hove actually


The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
Completely disagree, it's the housing and other developments included in leisure developments on council planning policies that create the problem.

There is always a percentage of affordable and unaffordable housing with mixed development that always ends up being the visual problem. A complete state of the art leisure centre would be welcome by the majority and would come under far less scrutiny.

Personally I think it is good to put a name to our sports development officer and to not think that it matters is one of the problems we have. Apathy!

Ticklish.

It's not the role of the local authority to have a champion of this sort of thing.

While it might well sound great on the PR side of things, it wouldn't be long before you get to realise that it was a role without any function. About 12 seconds, I'd suggest, and 10 seconds of that is getting past the incredulity.

For a start, it would be a non-paid role. Secondly, in the context of this discussion (unless you're taking it to a wider remit), we're mostly talking about planning issues, so you'd need someone with some planning nous.

I don't disagree with having a 'sports champion' across the city - in fact, I think it's a good idea - but they need to function outside of council operations, while having the ear of the council, as well as the population at large, local business, transport groups, health and fitness organisations and so on. It's like asking a fan to be the fans' representative on the board at the Albion - that notion lends itself to all kinds of difficulties.

Then you'd need to ask - who would it be? Plus, as a near full-time role, someone would have to pay for it. If it was the council, they'd be beholden to fulfill council obligations.
 






symyjym

Banned
Nov 2, 2009
13,138
Brighton / Hove actually
Ticklish.

It's not the role of the local authority to have a champion of this sort of thing.

While it might well sound great on the PR side of things, it wouldn't be long before you get to realise that it was a role without any function. About 12 seconds, I'd suggest, and 10 seconds of that is getting past the incredulity.

For a start, it would be a non-paid role. Secondly, in the context of this discussion (unless you're taking it to a wider remit), we're mostly talking about planning issues, so you'd need someone with some planning nous.

I don't disagree with having a 'sports champion' across the city - in fact, I think it's a good idea - but they need to function outside of council operations, while having the ear of the council, as well as the population at large, local business, transport groups, health and fitness organisations and so on. It's like asking a fan to be the fans' representative on the board at the Albion - that notion lends itself to all kinds of difficulties.

Then you'd need to ask - who would it be? Plus, as a near full-time role, someone would have to pay for it. If it was the council, they'd be beholden to fulfill council obligations.

So the Commissioner for Sport and Leisure is just a pen pushing role with a glorified title?
 


halbpro

Well-known member
Jan 25, 2012
2,902
Brighton
That place has absolutely appalling transport links though. At least at black rock, all they would need to do is expand the Volks railway.

Volks already goes there doesn't it? Or do you mean increase capacity (which I would agree with)?
 


The Large One

Who's Next?
Jul 7, 2003
52,343
97.2FM
So the Commissioner for Sport and Leisure is just a pen pushing role with a glorified title?

It's quite a grandiose title for someone who implements the policy and guidance on recreation and holding outdoor events in the city. He is a council officer who has to work within the framework of the city's budgets and policies for recreation, reporting to the Culture, Recreation & Tourism team.

That's different to being a 'Champion of Sport' for the city.
 


Triggaaar

Well-known member
Oct 24, 2005
53,228
Goldstone
So what can we do about it?
 




symyjym

Banned
Nov 2, 2009
13,138
Brighton / Hove actually
It's quite a grandiose title for someone who implements the policy and guidance on recreation and holding outdoor events in the city. He is a council officer who has to work within the framework of the city's budgets and policies for recreation, reporting to the Culture, Recreation & Tourism team.

That's different to being a 'Champion of Sport' for the city.

This maybe true, but they tend to spend all their time working on projects that fail, in fact all failure means to them is more work on the next failed project.

Failure and dragging things out always seems to be a good option for job security.

If we are claiming to be a city we need to have a sports centre to match.
 




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