Churchill Square
Apologies for bringing up Churchill Square when the traumatic Christmas shop is still so fresh in the mind. But, having recently visited Sir Winston’s old flat by Victoria Station, it seems only right that I look into whether or not Churchill Square is deserved of that great name.
Ideas were first mooted in 1935 for a new shopping and entertainment complex in the town centre. Clearance work commenced but the war hampered further progress. The decision to develop a massive sixteen acre site stretching from Western Road to the seafront was taken in 1959. The plans required the demolition of many fine streets, many of which were in poor condition, and, amazingly, the Grand Hotel.
The whole awful development should simply be flattened. A massive modern conference venue should replace the Brighton Centre and Kingswest. The current West Street car park entrance road would be pedestrianised as access to the cinemas and nightclubs in my new, Trocodero-style, scheme. Parking would be deep below the whole new footprint, freeing valuable space that is currently wasted on multi-storey car parks for more shops. The whole development would then be topped with apartments and a massive roof garden. It would be a fair bit taller than the current Churchill Square but without the awful Chartwell Court tower. Frank Gehry – listen and learn!
