FRENCH REVOLUTION

The French Convalescent Home in Brighton, one of the town's most striking and historically-important buildings, will be razed to the ground unless the owners can be persuaded to change their minds.

As well as robbing Brighton of a valuable piece of architecture, it would leave 40 members of staff redundant and dozens of frail pensioners looking for a new home.

Developer Bovis is planning to pull down the spectacular chateau-style building and build more than 60 sheltered flats.

Today the town calls on Bovis and the home's board of French trustees to scrap the plans and keep the building open.

Those who run the home, those who live there and those who, at some point, have had some involvement with the building, have joined in the campaign, sending a unanimous message that the development must be stopped.

Angry

Many are angry that trustees did not even bother to tell residents and staff of the plans, instead

letting them stumble on council planning notices pinned to a

lamp post outside in Marine Parade, a move which has been described as "appalling", "reprehensible" and "discourteous".

Trustees claim they were left no choice but to sell the grand home in the face of financial insecurity, saying their duty was to the residents and their futures.

But they have shown a heartless disregard for the building and its place in Britain's heritage.

Jean Capitoni, one of the trustees, told the Argus yesterday: "We are much more concerned about our residents than this building.

"If they are in a house where there are problems, financial problems looming, then maybe one

day we would have to move

these people if we get short on money.

"We will relocate them with the assistance of the local authorities.

"The question of the house and its architecture is not a matter for us. It is not very good looking or very old, but it is not for me to comment on."

Catherine Gennaro, the manager of the French Convalescent Home, is among those furious about the plans and how news of the proposed closure reached elderly and frail residents.

She is now calling on English Heritage and the Government to urgently list the building.

Mrs Gennaro said: "The wife of one of the residents saw the notice on the lamp post and that's how they found out. I tried to contact the trustees to find out what was going on before I gave out any information to the residents, but I couldn't get hold of anyone.

"About two months ago a JCB came into the grounds, which astonished me.

"It gave me an idea that some changes might be about to happen, but never in my worst nightmares did I imagine the building would be knocked down.

Change

"We were all terrified that something was going on. I spoke to the chairman of the trustees and asked if the home was going to stay as it was and the gist of the reply was that it would.

"I never thought it would be knocked down. Because of our questions, the staff were sent a letter in September telling them there would be no change for at least 18 months to two years.

"Since then none of the trustees have spoken to me. They are supposed to be coming for a meeting on Monday.

Mrs Gennaro has applied to English Heritage for the building to be listed. She said: "It was refused in 1992 because they said it

had had alterations, but we have old photos proving it hasn't - the double glazing is original which makes it even more unique."

Hove boxer Chris Eubank has a special connection with the home.

In 1997 former lightweight boxer Tony Brazil, who suffered brain damage, was a resident at the home.

Chris said today he was shocked to hear of the closure.

He added: "I urge everyone with any power to keep this home open. We should respect our elders and do whatever

we can to keep them from being disrupted and disturbed in this way."

Chris, who said old people's homes are an important and vital part of the community, added: "It is much worse for people in their old age to face this kind of disruption and the home should stay open."

Social services chiefs say they are "appalled" at the way the French Convalescent Home's closure came to light.

And they have promised to

do all they can to ensure the residents are given every possible protection from the trauma of being moved.

Report

They are anxious to avoid a repeat of the deaths which

followed the recent closure of care homes in Hove and Bognor.

About 20 of the French Convalescent Home's residents were referred there by Brighton and Hove Council's social services department.

Its facilities and staff recently received a glowing report when

it was inspected by the council's registrations and inspections

unit.

But the council is powerless to stop the closure going ahead as the home is owned by developers Bovis.

Gerry Kielty, lead councillor

for adult services, said: "Social

services are quite appalled at the way they have gone about this.

"They failed to notify the

residents, many of whom have lived there for a long time,

about what they were going to

do.

"The home is run by its trustees, not the council, and they must bear responsibility for what happens to the residents.

"This was a business decision by the trustees and we feel they should have given the residents a lot more notice of what they were planning.

"Many of the old and frail people there will be extremely shocked and disturbed by what has happened.

"There is clear academic evidence which proves that if you are going to move elderly people it must be done with great care and over a long period.

"If care is not taken, it could result in the deaths of some of the more frail residents, as happened during the closure of other homes recently."

Coun Kielty added that the social services department would continue to monitor the situation.

He said they would also want

to have a close look at the

planning application submitted

by Bovis for the sheltered

housing.

Coun Kielty said: "Social services will want to have an input into the scheme to ensure it meets local needs."

Brighton Kemp Town MP Des Turner heavily criticised trustees of the home for breaking a pledge to sell the building to another charity.

He said: "I am very unhappy about the way trustees of the French Convalescent Home have been behaving.

"They assured us they would be trying to dispose of the home to another charity, which would continue the building's use as a care home.

"But they have gone for the commercial deal which will raise the biggest price, by selling it to a developer.

"It was also very offensive and stressful to the residents and their relatives to hear about the plans on planning notices outside the home.

"That is appalling. They did not even have the courtesy of telling the residents first.

"Equally discourteous was the way social services and the health authority also only found out from the planning application. That is extremely reprehensible.

"These are the authorities which have a duty to ensure that the French Convalescent Home

carries out the correct consultation procedures to ensure

that the stress of moving

occupants of the home to alternative homes is kept to a

minimum.

"It is a documented fact that you can get bursts of mortality when elderly residents are moved out of care homes. This needs very sensitive handling.

"It is also cause for concern because while there are plenty of care home places in the private sector in Brighton, there is a very real shortage of nursing home places.

"The French Convalescent Home has dual registration.

"If the home is demolished it will be an unnecessary loss of

nursing home places which will disadvantage the elderly in Brighton.

"The town will also lose a very handsome building. I would be very sad to see it go.

Attitude

"It has been a very good institution, well loved by people involved in it. I cannot understand the trustees' attitude.

"I can now only stand on the sidelines and jump up and down in furious protest.

"There is nothing statutory I can do. We have been through

all avenues, including the French Government, and other

charity commissions, without

success."

Brighton Pavilion MP David Lepper added: "It would be a great shame if this very fine building were lost."

The planning application, now with Brighton and Hove Council, clearly states that the building is owned by Bovis Retirement Homes.

The bid is jointly

signed by Bovis and the home's trustees.

John Small, secretary of the Regency Society, which acts to conserve buildings of interest, said: "I have now seen the application and it does seem

that Bovis is commercially running the scheme, making a case for a very large scale development of sheltered living accommodation.

"The building is of interest both historically, because of its unusual occupancy, and architecturally.

"It would be a shame if it was pulled down. It is at risk at the moment."

And Selma Montford, secretary of the Brighton Society, said: "This plan must be stopped. This is an interesting and unusual building. Its appearance is very dramatic.

"It's not often you find a mock French chateaux in the middle of Kemp Town."

Forces sweetheart Vera Lynn is also backing the campaign.

She was shocked to

learn about the proposals Bovis have for the home.

She said: "The fact they are turning those people out of their home without even having the decency to tell them what they are proposing makes me very cross.

"It will have been a great shock to the residents to

discover the place they consider home is to be demolished.

"It is even worse that the sheltered flats they are replacing the building with are likely to be too expensive and inappropriate for the current residents to move into."

Terrible

Gerald Lip, cartoon editor for the Express and the man who drew the French Convalescent Home for a series on historic buildings in the Argus, is furious over the plans.

Mr Lip, who lives in Palmeira Avenue, Brighton, said: "This is terrible. I will definitely back the Argus campaign.

"I drew that building a couple of years ago for the Argus and loved it. Knocking it down is like knocking down the West Pier.

"That area of Brighton is very built up with modern flats. The home is the only historical looking building.

"I think the trustees really should show more care for the building."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.