About

Welcome to my new site. All of the content from the old site is now up and running – and much more will be uploaded shortly.

The idea for the Building Opinions column in Latest Homes came about during a chance meeting with one of the magazine’s owners, Angi Mariani, at a Deep Purple concert at the Brighton Centre early in 2005.

The Brighton-based publication has proved to be a perfect outlet for my thoughts on conservation and development around Brighton & Hove. A different building is studied each week so that the mistakes and triumphs of our built environment will not be forgotten.

I was born in 1980 in Croydon and moved to Hove in 1998 to study Electrical & Electronic Engineering at the University of Sussex. Like many visitors before me, the area’s charm was irresistible so I stayed on and began exploring. First I discovered the various tunnels around town – from the efficient Victorian sewers to the passages within and under the Royal Pavilion. The stunning Regency squares and crescents came next. The list goes on.

I bought my first property as a student and transformed the run-down building into a liveable home and now own a modest business specialising in the purchase and retention of historic buildings in need of sensitive restoration. I served on the committee of the Regency Society for seven years and have worked as a planning consultant to the owners of Brighton Aquarium in attempting to rejuvenate that iconic seafront structure.

Following several years working for a surveying firm in Brighton, my interest in the built environment drew me towards politics. I ran Nicholas Boles’ 2005 Hove election campaign and then went on to work for Michael Gove MP for the next five years. During that period, I spent time in the offices of both Hillary Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani in New York, along with a brief spell in the New York City Planning Department. I now run the office of Mike Weatherley, Member of Parliament for Hove, in the House of Commons.

I have stood for council three times in Brighton, but have not yet been elected for public office.

Please do let me know if there are any topics that you would like to see featured.