Vibrant regeneration plans for Brighton's old municipal market

Following a major consultation across Brighton & Hove, plans to transform the derelict municipal market building in Circus Street into a vibrant new area contributing significantly to both the cultural and economic future of the city, have been submitted to Council Planners by developers Cathedral Group in partnership with McLaren Property.

It is estimated that the project will bring investment of over £200million into Brighton & Hove over the next ten years, create over 600 jobs, deliver two landmark public buildings: The Dance Space, a new home for South East Dance and a library and teaching building for the University of Brighton, as well as much needed new homes and office space.

Beautiful green spaces, landscaped public squares and an events square with The Dance Space and University library at its centre, will be able to host street events and outdoor performance. The scheme, which aims to be the most sustainable development in the city, includes a series of well planted character areas, including a fruit tree orchard, with a raft of special initiatives to increase biodiversity and protect the environment, with green roofs, living walls, bird boxes, grey water recycling and food growing pathways.

Martyn Evans, Creative Director of Cathedral Group, said: “Our vision is to create a productive quarter of Brighton, economically and creatively, right on the site of the old fruit and vegetable market; a friendlier, greener neighbourhood where anything from seed swapping to roof top urban farming and orchard picking sits alongside art, culture, modern living and hi-tech start-up business.

“We started to consult local people and organisations on our initial proposals in February and then held a major public exhibition in April, which was attended by many hundreds of people. We have talked directly to neighbours and local residents groups, as well as over a hundred other organisations, embracing the interests of everyone in the city. Our plans reflect that wide and comprehensive consultation.”

The regeneration plans include 142 much-needed new homes for a variety of family sizes, a community space for local people to use and small ‘Brighton-centric’ independent retail and cafe units, bringing the street level to life day and night.

Circus Street will become shared space, where pedestrians can enjoy equal status to cars, which has already worked in the city so well on New Road. 600 cycle spaces, most under cover, and limited car parking, with 43 covered spaces for residents, are also included in the designs.

There will be halls of residence for up to 486 students, to fuel the under supply of dedicated student accommodation in the city and free up residential areas of Brighton for families. They will be conveniently located right next to the Faculty of Arts and a new library and teaching building, becoming part of the University of Brighton’s City Campus.

A modern office building on the corner of Circus Street and Kingswood Street includes over 3,000 sqm of flexible office space to address the city’s under supply of quality space for growing businesses, ensuring that successful creative and digital businesses stay in the city when they outgrow their office space and to attract new companies to move into Brighton. The majority of the buildings are designed with the aim of achieving either BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment) Excellent or Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4.

Innovative developers Cathedral Group in joint-venture partnership with McLaren Property, are leading a Public Private Partnership for the regeneration, which includes site land owners Brighton & Hove City Council and the neighbouring University of Brighton, as well as leading dance development organisation, South East Dance.

Continued Martyn Evans of Cathedral Group: “By far the majority of people who commented at our consultation are fully supportive of the scheme and said that they really want it to happen - the most commonly stated point was, ‘It’s about time something was done to improve this area’.

“Since then, we have created a lot of conversation and taken a lot of care, working with local people to make a scheme which we are proud of and which is good for everybody.”

There is huge demand for the proposed Dance Space and South East Dance carried out a parallel consultation in the city to establish how the local community would like to make use of their studios and performance space.

Said Jamie Watton, CEO/Artistic Director at South East Dance: “We already have roots in Brighton & Hove and continue to develop strong partnerships with other cultural providers in the City including those with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival and The Basement. The Dance Space will not only enable us to create a world class hub for dance professionals, but also provide a huge range of dance opportunities for local people. We have received enormous support both locally and from the wider dance community for this development and it is hugely important to us that it now goes ahead.”

Professor Anne Boddington, Dean of The University of Brighton’s Faculty of Arts, said: “We see this as a great opportunity to extend the facilities we have for our students and staff. The new library and learning centre for the arts will showcase our extraordinary creative resources and include publically accessible space, allowing us to invite the city’s communities to collaborate and see our work and our historic design collections.”

The project team has committed to benefiting the local construction industry by sourcing labour and materials locally where possible and, in addition, an apprenticeship scheme is being set up to help local trainees gain work experience on the site.

Brighton & Hove City Council will shortly open a statutory consultation of the planning application, inviting the public and stakeholders to comment and developers hope the scheme will be approved by Planning Committee early next year. If it gets the green light, construction will begin next summer.

Media enquiries: Paula Seager, Natural PR, Tel: 01273 857242 or email: paula@naturalpr.biz

Six top Sussex young chefs selected

Six of the best young chefs in Sussex will compete in a ‘MasterChef’ style cook off at the Amex Stadium on 29 October, to decide who will win the hotly contended Sussex Young Chef of the Year award, sponsored by Sodexo Prestige, as part of the Sussex Food & Drink Awards 2013/14.

The six shortlisted chefs have been selected by public vote and will have to prepare and produce a full three-course menu based on local and seasonal ingredients in only 90 minutes.   Malcolm Emery, Executive Chef and David Mulcahy, Craft & Food Development Director at Sodexo Prestige will be heading up the judging panel and they will be looking for innovation and an appreciation of all things local in the six menus that are created for this final stage in the competition.

Representing East Sussex is Nick Bennet from The Curlew Restaurant in Bodium, Adam Gibbs from The Coach and Horses in Danehill and Perry Foord from Deans Place Hotel in Alfriston; from West Sussex there is Ricky Weston from South Lodge Hotel in Lower Beeding and from Brighton & Hove there is Joseph Otway from the Ginger Pig and James McGarry from L’Église.

Twenty five year old, Nick Bennet from the Curlew Restaurant started his working life as a pot washer and became inspired by the complicated process that cooking requires. Nick is one of the youngest serving Sous Chefs working in a Michelin starred restaurant in the UK and has ambitions to win a Michelin star of his own.  Nick’s manager and owner of The Curlew, Mark Colley, describes Nick as having “boundless energy and enthusiasm for ever evolving menus and shows a level of experience beyond his years.”

Adam Gibbs from the Coach and Horses discovered his love of cooking at the tender age of 14 when he started working in kitchens. The 21 year old has worked at The Coach and Horses for five years and has aspirations to become a well-known chef with his own restaurant one day.  He is a promising young chef with a great determination to succeed, which is matched by his natural creative flair and an affinity with the use of local produce.

Inspired by the cooking of his grandmother, 20 year old Perry Foord from Deans Place Hotel has always known he wanted to pursue a career as a chef.  He would like to work in London one day and wants to produce food to the highest possible standard in order to reach his goal of a Michelin Star. His manager describes Perry as having “a natural ability, extremely hard working, attentive and enthusiastic.  He is always looking to improve and learn, he works very well under pressure and has excellent presentation skills.”

Recognising his creative talents at a young age, 21 year old Ricky Weston quickly became addicted to learning new ways of cooking and presenting food.  Described by his head chef as “incredibly driven, studious and ambitious, Ricky’s greatest strength is his eye for detail and willingness to perfect his skills.”  He has a great understanding of the food seasons and is passionate about using local produce, often creating dishes using fruit and vegetables grown in South Lodge’s walled kitchen garden.

Twenty three year old Joseph Otway from the Ginger Pig has already had some amazing experiences during his career including working in South Africa and he is hungry to perfect the skills of fine dining cuisine.  He is an ambitious young chef who one day aspires to work for a chef who holds multiple Michelin Stars or to hold a star himself.  Joseph is passionate about using quality local ingredients and learning new techniques to perfect the consistency of his cooking.

Twenty five year old James McGarry from L’Église restaurant was inspired to become a chef by his great grandmother who was a fantastic baker and chef.  He loved experimenting with food from a young age so becoming a chef was the perfect way to channel his creative personality. James loves working with quality local ingredients and he has enjoyed working with chefs from all over the world, taking inspiration from them along the way. Head chef and owner of L’Église, Jean Christophe Martin, describes James as “a very talented young chef who has an amazingly creative mind, constantly thinking of new dishes and ideas.”

Other categories in these sought-after awards include best Sussex eating experience, food producer, drink producer, farmer, food/farm shop, butcher and farmers market.   Finalists will be announced in November and the winners and runners up will be revealed at the ‘Sussex foodie event of the year’, the Sussex Food & Drink Awards Banquet, at the Amex Stadium on 30th January 2014, hosted by patron of the awards Sally Gunnell and Danny Pike from BBC Sussex.  Tickets for the superb, seven course Sussex feast and awards ceremony are now on sale. To find out more visit www.sussexfoodawards.biz

Image shows current Sussex Young Chef of the Year, Jimmy Gray from Jeremy's at Borde Hill

Royal Pavilion Ice Rink is back

Tickets are on sale now for the South East’s coolest winter attraction – the beautiful Royal Pavilion Ice Rink.

The rink will open for its fourth year on November 9 to January 19 on the Royal Pavilion’s Eastern lawns in Brighton. The Royal Pavilion Ice Rink is the UK’s first sustainable rink, using a green energy tariff to freeze the ice and power up the attraction.

Set against the exquisite backdrop of the former Royal pleasure palace, it has space for 250 skaters per session, with a beginners’ area with penguin skate aids and skate sizes from ‘just walking’ to adult, offering seasonal fun and a unique festive experience.

Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion said: “I am delighted that the rink will be green again for the second year running. Ice rinks do use a lot of energy, but this is a wonderful attraction for visitors and people who live in the city and it just makes it even better to know that energy purchased on a green tariff will power it.”

Everyone is welcome to enjoy the view and watch the skaters in action at the stunning rinkside Bar & Kitchen, which offers heart warming snacks, delicious lunches and dinners, a great bar selection, with mulled wine and hot chocolate with marshmallows always available.

   

For adults the rink is a romantic destination for couples to enjoy skating followed by dinner and a bottle of wine, whilst groups of friends can enjoy their winter get togethers in the lively rinkside Bar & Kitchen overlooking the ice skating scene, with a range of good value meals and wines on offer as well as real ales and seasonal continental lagers.

For families, visiting the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink for a day out is an experience not to be missed during the festive season, conjuring up the very essence of Christmas, whether it be for Family Sunday lunch with Father Christmas, in December, or an early evening skate and supper. 

Ice skating tickets cost from £10 for adults and £7 for children under 12 and the one-hour skate times run from 10am to 10.15pm daily. Concessions also available for students. Box office is open from 9.30am to 9.45pm, but it is advisable to book tickets in advance.

Buy your tickets now from www.ticketmaster.co.uk/royal-pavilion-ice-rink or call 0844 8472352 or for group bookings of ten or more call 0844 8471512.

Find out more at www.royalpavilionicerink.co.uk

Sunshine, smiles and success at Autumn Show and Game Fair

16,500 visitors came to ‘have a go’ at the 2013 Autumn Show & Game Fair held at the South of England Showground, Ardingly, over the weekend (October 5 & 6), an increase of nearly 1,000 people from last year and 2,000 from the year before.

Traditional country sports were in abundance across the showground throughout the sunny weekend and people of all ages and genders could be seen having a go at something, whether it was clay pigeon shooting, gundog training, ferreting, terrier racing, dog agility, fly fishing or falconry. 

Said Michelle Nudds, Vice Chairman of the Autumn Show & Game Fair Committee, “There was such a buzz across the showground and it was wonderful to see so many people trying things that they perhaps have never thought of attempting before. The game cookery demonstrations gathered quite a crowd and confirmed just how versatile cooking with game can be.  Shoppers seemed very keen to learn more about the health benefits of and why we should all be looking to eat more seasonal and local food and producers such as Balcombe Fine Game had a very busy two days.”

Lord Egremont from the Petworth Estate, in West Sussex presented the annual Student Assignment Awards as his first ceremonial duty as newly-appointed President of the South of England Agricultural Society. The winning students from land-based colleges in Sussex and Hampshire were 18-year-old Jennifer White from Level 2 at Hadlow College, with her study on dairy farming, and 18-year-old Natasha Stonestreet from Plumpton College in East Sussex, for her study on roosting starlings.  Runners up included Wesley Ubsdale and Richard Easterbrook from Chichester College, David Casebow from Sparsholt College and Natasha Trickett from Plumpton College.

Said Derek Cleaver, Chair of the Society’s Education Committee, “This competition is an important part of the society’s educational charity work and the quality was excellent this year, coming from the young people of the future who will be working in countryside careers.”

With the demand for country sports increasing each year in this region, competition was also fierce in the clay pigeon shooting, run by Dan Kerwood and his daughter Charlotte Kerwood who is triple Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and member of Team GB in both London and for Rio in 2016. 

Charlotte won the ladies’ High Gun trophy on Sunday and other cash prizes were taken home by Steve Scott from Battle, East Sussex winning the men’s High Gun and Guy Franklin from Haywards Heath who was part of the winning group who won 1^st prize in the Team Shoot Challenge. Hundreds of beginners also tried their hand at this increasingly popular sport.

The newest attraction to the show was the Lamb Grand National and large crowds gathered around the main ring to take a look at the endearing Herdwick sheep as they raced with great aplomb around the track, clearing fence after fence, to the cheers of visitors.

Another crowd pleaser was the Kent & Surrey bloodhounds on Saturday and the cavalcade of hounds on Sunday, which drew many people into the ring for a closer look.  Dogs of every breed and type were much in evidence throughout the show and formed a huge part of the weekend.

“I think my little puppy might have been one of the youngest visitors to the show,” commented Michelle Nudds, “but we were delighted to see so many of our supporters both young and old out in force with their faithful four-legged friends for our last major show in the 2013 calendar.  The whole weekend really has been a true celebration of our glorious countryside.”

Many young visitors were captivated by the donkey show on Sunday, the pumpkin trail offered a gentle journey around the showground and smiling young faces were found at the traditional fairground and in the Fur & Feather area offering them a hands-on approach with the rabbits, chickens, ducks and geese as well as many other farmyard animals on display in the Abergavenny Building.

Bumper crops of entries were taken in the vegetable growing competition this year from giant leeks to perfect onions and the impressive vegetable displays from the National Vegetable Society and the National Association of Flower Arrangement Societies (NAFAS) floral displays made a popular pit stop for all green-fingered enthusiasts.

Food played an important role in the WI’s competition, which this year took the theme of Autumn Extravaganza and formed an integral part of the show with creative craft displays and demonstrations.

Transport to and from the clay pigeon shoot area was provided by Vintage Trailer Tours and more fascinating vintage agricultural machinery was on display at the show - all painstakingly restored from a bygone era of farming by members of the South Eastern Vintage Agricultural Club.

Musical accompaniment was courtesy of Mike Hayes and his steel band and the First Cinque Ports Rifle Volunteers Corps of Drums who provided stirring military music for the crowds.  The annual Harvest service on Sunday was well supported in the misty sunshine and provided a welcome moment to reflect on the importance of this time of year in the countryside.

Visitors to the Autumn Show & Game Fair also took time to see about the advantages of becoming a member of the South of England Agricultural Society, which offers a host of concessions including free entry to the major shows at the Showground.    

South East children connect with countryside

Two thousand three hundred children aged ten and eleven, from 51 schools across Sussex and Surrey, visited the Ardingly Showground [July 18] to discover more about where their food comes from and all aspects of rural life.

At the seventh Connect with the Countryside Day, pupils and their teachers had a brilliant day in the sunshine gaining a better understanding of countryside issues, thanks to over 100 volunteers from the South of England Agricultural Society.

Said Mr Hughes, Assistant Head Teacher of Upper Beeding Primary School, “It’s a brilliant day! We come here every year just for the children to experience rural life and agriculture and this day brings all that – we are a rural school but a lot of our children still don’t come into contact with the surrounding countryside.”

Said Mrs Lewis from Globe Primary in Lancing, “I think it’s useful for the children to see how food is made because they don’t actually know where it comes from.”

“We do now!” chipped in her pupils when she was asked this question!

Four special zones included Livestock, where children met a range of farm animals, from Sussex Beef bulls to chickens; Horticulture and Food, where children learnt about healthy food, tasting local tomatoes, fresh milk and honey and discovering how sausages, bread and butter are made; and two Wildlife and Recreation zones also offered important countryside topics, such as nature conservation, forestry and countryside sports.

The Sheep Show, including sheep shearing, a Pony Club display and a Birds of Prey demonstration also delighted the children.

Said Derek Cleaver, the Society’s Education Committee, “This exciting, interactive day, offered free to schools, captures the very essence of the Society’s charitable and educational aims and we would like to thank all who helped to make it such a success today.” 

Giant Maze opens at Royal Pavilion

A stunning new ‘Selfish Giant Maze’ summer attraction opened on the Eastern Lawns of the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, today with whoops of joy from local children and their parents [July 4].

Ten children from Brighton’s Amaze charity, working with parents and children with special needs, were amongst the lucky ones to try out the maze first.

Inspired by Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant’, a fairy tale about a Giant who doesn’t want to share the garden he loves with children, but learns the error of his ways, the maze has been exclusively made for Brighton by the creators of the Royal Pavilion Ice Rink.

Shella Parkin, MD of Laine Ltd, said: “We wanted to create something amazing for the school summer holidays on the Eastern Lawns, in addition to our popular winter attraction.

“I’ve always loved mazes and felt the Pavilion deserved its own one as there has been a long history of association between historic buildings and mazes. Our aim is to create a maze that looks as though it has always been there but somehow ‘out of view’. Our design is inspired by a story I’ve loved since I was a little girl and have read aloud to my own children.”

The 22m by 22m maze is based on a Roman design and made up of 360 metres of corridors and beautiful hidden garden rooms, evoking the four seasons in the Giant’s Garden.

Sound effects, giant gardening tools, riddles and traditional games, such as Nine Men’s Morris and Fox and Geese, will startle and delight adults and children alike as they try to find their way to the centre of the maze.

Giant ‘reverse graffiti’ footprints also mysteriously appeared overnight on Wednesday morning, leading from Brighton Station down Queen’s Road and Church Road to the Royal Pavilion.

Is there a giant in the centre of the maze? You’ll have to visit to find out! The attraction costs just £4 per person, making it affordable for families with children of all ages to enjoy and hopefully come back to more than once.

Tickets can be purchased from the box office on site only and opening hours are 11am to 7pm, July 4 to September 3, Eastern Lawns Royal Pavilion, Brighton, BN1 1EE. Find out more at Facebook.com/SelfishGiantMaze

Sally Gunnell OBE celebrates with Sussex Food Finalists

Sally Gunnell OBE hosted over a hundred Sussex food and drink business leaders last week at a networking event celebrating the 68 finalists in the Sussex Food and Drink Awards 2013/14, at the Norfolk Pavilion at the South of England Showground in Ardingly, Mid Sussex.

Farmers, butchers, chefs, market organizers, shop keepers, brewers and vintners, from the far reaches of East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove, enjoyed delicious local food and drink and met the sponsor judges, winners from previous years and learnt about what could make them the winner of this year’s coveted trophies.

“I want to congratulate all the finalists in this year’s awards and this event is a great opportunity for finalists to discover how to make the most of this competition which is all about boosting the local food market,” said Sally Gunnell OBE, patron of the Sussex Food and Drink Awards.

“Aside from receiving their trophies, Grand Finalists get free tickets to THE Sussex foodie event of the year, the Sussex Food and Drink Awards Banquet, which is a superb seven-course banquet created entirely from local produce, to be held on 30^th January – but most importantly, the winners get huge respect and recognition.”

This year’s awards scheme was launched at the South of England Show VIP opening breakfast on 6 June, with finalists nominated and assessed by an expert panel of judges, overseen by newly appointed chair William Goodwin, following the retirement of Clive Beddall OBE.  All agreed that the standard is incredibly high this year and the competition is going to be extremely tough.

It’s going to be another really exciting year for the awards with some truly excellent candidates including lots of new names, as well as some familiar ones, who have made it onto the shortlist.

We are so lucky that Sussex is blessed with a wealth of glorious food and drink, from the beautiful South Downs and its coastal waters, to the huge number of creative and hard-working producers and manufacturers in the county who are creating award-winning food and drink every day.

This year the awards include:

Sussex Farmer of the Year Award sponsored by Spofforths

Best Sussex Food Producer sponsored by The Southern Co-operative

Best Sussex Eating Experience sponsored by Mayo Wynne Baxter

Best Sussex Farmers Market sponsored by Harveys

Sussex Butcher of the Year sponsored by Natural Farms

Best Sussex Food/Farm Shop sponsored by Cheese Please & Natural PR

Sussex Drink Producer of the Year sponsored by the Sussex Food & Drink Network

Nominations for Sussex Young Chef of the Year remain open until the end of July, when the top six will be announced and go forward as usual for the cook-off in October.

To see who made it onto the shortlist and to vote for your favourite, visit www.sussexfoodanddrinkawards.biz - details of how to text your vote can also be found on the website.