St. James Street

Brighton and Hove City Council has moved to recognise the specific needs of the city's LGBT community through an amendment to its newly adopted Core Strategy planning document.

 

The new policy recognises the importance of the St James's Street area to the LGBT community as a 'gay village'. With it the council adopted proposals to improve the area and address issues such as hate crime in planning terms.

 

Gscene, among others, has run a ten year campaign for this recognition. It's fruition owed much to Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Paul Elgood, who garnered all-party support for what many perceived as a controversial subject, and steered the policy through a difficult council meeting. The proposal follows a long campaign by local business and community leaders for such a recognition.

 

Councillor Elgood, who proposed the amendment, said, 'I am delighted that the council is taking forward planning policies to improve the St James's Street area which will benefit every resident and visitor to the area.

 

'This really does put the St James's Street area on the map in planning terms.

 

'I am grateful to business and community leaders who helped draft the policy and win cross party support for it.

 

'The new policy recognises the long term issues raised by the LGBT community to improve the area but these equally apply to all residents as St James's Street must continue to grow and thrive.  Many LGBT people identify with the area as their gay village, whilst  the whole community shares many of the goals for it to be a great place to be. I hope that we can now start a  debate amongst the community to take this forward.

 

'This really builds on the success generated by the local and business communities and will build on the huge success of the AIDS memorial.'