Brighton and Hove Lower Traffic Neighbourhood scheme slated

And the firm behind the designs also runs the council’s parking enforcement service and “will profit enormously from the fines that will be generated from the surveillance cameras in our neighbourhood”.

The residents are calling for a pause and a rethink of the proposed low-traffic neighbourhood – or LTN – because they believe the scheme which is currently the subject of a consultation is more traffic-led than about making the area greener.

From what was said at public meetings, residents said that they understood the project would bring pocket parks and more trees to their streets.

But now a public consultation is under way, the neighbours said that they were disappointed that just two pocket parks had been included in the proposed layout.

There are also concerns that proposed road closures and changes to one-way streets would mean more pollution in the area.

Those residents who use cars and vans for work would have to make longer journeys to leave Hanover – and when they return.

People at a residents’ meeting on Tuesday (26 July) said that they were not pro-car because they did not use cars to travel within Brighton and Hove but for work or long journeys only.

Their concerns were about how the low-traffic neighbourhood is implemented, the effect on air quality, with people spending longer driving in and out of the area, and increased traffic on the boundaries.

Lucy Dunkeyson, who created the Improve or Stop the Hanover LTN Facebook group, has designed an alternative “light touch” scheme, with 18 pocket parks instead of two.

Her proposals would remove road closures but add an electronic speed indicator and signs saying: “Welcome to Hanover. Please drive carefully.” It would also include speed bumps and other traffic-calming measures.

She said: “There are some streets that have a problem but the council implies the whole of Hanover has a terrible problem. There are issues at Carlton Hill. The council plans will increase those problems.”

Fiona MacDougall, who has a child at Elm Grove Primary School and another at the Pepperpot Nursery, is concerned that people are not getting the project they were sold.

She said: “They went to Elm Grove Primary school and got the children to draw their dream streets. Now they’re being excluded. We’ve been mis-sold. This is going to have us driving around in circles.”

Hanover And Tarner July Public Consultation Image

Her comments were backed by Queen’s Park Road resident Chris Beaumont who said: “It has morphed from planting trees, including benches, maybe some build-outs.

“‘What would you like to see?’ That’s how it started. Now it’s become something completely different.”

Alex Sutton-Vane, from Workshops for the Imagination, in Islingword Road, said that he was frustrated that he and other businesses in the area were not approached directly as part of the consultation.

He said: “I’m just staggered no one has consulted any of the shops or businesses up there about any of these proposals.

“It would be absolutely devastating for them in terms of deliveries and collections. To close off the top of Islingword Road and the bottom end is just completely bonkers. There are about 85 commercial deliveries a day along there alone.”

The current proposals in the public consultation have a pocket park outside the parade at the top of Islingword Road, which includes a busy post office, pharmacy and doctors’ surgery.

Mr Sutton-Vane said that the proposed pocket park would result in the loss of a disabled bay and doctor’s parking space and would cause issues with security vans reaching the post office.

Philip Hartstein, an architectural administrator who lives in a street off Elm Grove, was concerned about proposals to introduce two-way traffic while closing one end of his road, resulting in more pollution.

He was concerned about the design by the Project Centre which he said, had a framework agreement as a regular council contractor, but was not accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

He said: “They are part of the Marston Holdings Group, the parent company for NSL who run our penalty parking charges.

“They will profit enormously from the fines that will be generated from the surveillance cameras in our neighbourhood.

“Project Centre has no design credentials and no architects I can find through my friends at RIBA.”

The Improve or Stop the Hanover LTN campaigners are considering sending a deputation to the council and starting a petition to share their concerns.

They are mounting a campaign to ensure more people attend the public events to see the proposals.

Public drop-in sessions are due to take place at the Phoenix Art Space, in Waterloo Place, on Monday 16 August from noon to 3pm and on Tuesday 30 August from 2pm to 5pm.

Other drop-in sessions are scheduled to take place at the Hanover Community Centre, in Southover Street, on Thursday 18 August and Wednesday 24 August from 4pm to 7pm and on Saturday 27 August from 11am to 2pm.

The online public consultation is open until Sunday 11 September on the council website.