London Road Tesco Proposal
From:
Tony Cook
Date:
Apr 06 15:24 UTC
Short link
The news has been confirmed by The Brighton Society.
http://www.brighton-society.org.uk/
Quote:
The Co-op department store has been earmarked for a Tesco superstore
Will this mean demolition and rebuilding with a large car park, or
will the present building be converted? It is hard to imagine that
Tesco would be content with the tiny Co-op car park on the site of
Oxford Court. Indeed St James Investments, the developer, has said
that sufficient car parking would be needed to make the area (I think
they mean a Tesco superstore) financially viable.
How many spaces is 'sufficient' car parking? How will London Road,
already congested, cope with the extra traffic which would be
generated?
The developer could make a real contribution to the area by helping
the Open Market to carry out its own planned regeneration scheme.
The Brighton Society looks forward to visiting the website (which will
go live in April or May) when a public exhibition will be held. We
look forward to participating in "an open and honest public
consultation, which helps guide proposals for the area", and we hope
will provide a genuine opportunity to influence those proposals.
Unquote.
Personally I would knock everything down (both sides of London Road,
including the Co-op and Open Market), dig up the road and build a
large underground 'terminus' carpark. Above ground I would rebuild the
market, extending the concept to include every conceivable space and
resource necessary to draw in small businesses - retail, goumet,
services, workshops, wi-fi etc. Above the commercial tier, and in and
around inner courtyards, I'd locate low-cost, high-density residential
space including meeting space, dental and medical practices and
educational space suitable for all age groups. I'd restrict motorised
transport within the bounds of this village to milk floats. St Peter's
to the sea-front would then be car free, maybe serviced by trams, the
Steine river brought to the surface and reconfigured as a canal, oh
and more trees please.
Tony C