Have you visited any Upper North Street businesses lately? Owners spend buckets of money renovating them so they stay in character with the heritage homes in the Street in the Montpelier and Cliftonhill Conservation Area. Take the 19th century Windmill pub for example. The outside, and in particular the seating area, has just been beautifully renovated for customers to sit outside the pub and enjoy the ambience of the Conservation Area. The owner must have thought they were safe to invest so much because in 2005, Brighton & Hove City Council adopted the Montpelier and Cliftonhill Conservation Area Character Statement. The purpose of this statement is “to describe the history and character of this conservation area in order to provide a context for policies contained in the Development Plan, which will guide future development and enhancements in the area.” No Council, led by any political party, would divert 700 buses and 850 taxis per day to ‘enhance’ the area. This Council decision is wholly unreasonable.

As Cody, the Manager of the newly renovated Windmill pub says “The buses should stay on Western Road.  The Council needs to do the right thing and spend a bit more and phase the changes to Western Road.  The idea of running buses along a narrow residential road is madness.  This will create chaos for residents and local businesses - not to mention noise and air pollution to our local customers sat outside the pub."