☀️Temperatures rising, trees falling, short-term let licensing and more🌳
it's too hot. it's too hot. it's too hot.
Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull and this week's Monday Briefing! Somehow it's even hotter this week than last; you'd better not be travelling to London in this heat, it's too much.
🗞News This Week🗞
heat increasing, both in terms of temperature and on short-term letters
It's going to be really, really hot
We're sure you don't need us to tell you this, but in case you haven't been outside today it's incredibly hot today and will be tomorrow as well.
There will be highs of 32° today, and highs of 33° tomorrow.
An amber weather warning for extreme heat is in place, until 23:59 on Tuesday.
A red warning means a 'very likely' risk to life. There has never been a red warning for extreme heat in England.
In another first, the UK Health Security Agency has increased its heat health warning to level 4 'major incident, emergency response', meaning illness and death could occur among those who are healthy and not high-risk.
If anyone was thinking of travelling to London, a red weather warning is in place, where highs of 38° today and 39° tomorrow are expected. Network Rail and TFL have said to only travel if necessary.
The Met Office says:
Look out for others, especially older people, young children and babies and those with underlying health conditions.
Close curtains on rooms that face the sun to keep indoor spaces cooler and remember it may be cooler outdoors than indoors.
Drink plenty of fluids and avoid excess alcohol, dress appropriately for the weather and slow down when it is hot.
We wouldn't normally write about the weather, but it's important to stay safe in the heat and to minimise travel where possible!
Greater restrictions may be coming to holiday lets
Mandatory licensing could soon come to the city due to concerns around available housing.
Labour councillor Gill Williams wants the council to have the ability to 'designate a minimum percentage of housing to be reserved for long-term lets and place a cap on the number of holiday lets', and is asking councillors to back a motion for mandatory licensing on short-term lets.
Not only does she think they should be 'brought in line with rented accommodation in terms of the standards we expect and enforce as a local authority', but she says the licenses should be able to be removed 'if holiday lets prove a nuisance to residents'.
She also wants the licensing scheme to limit the number of second homes and holiday lets one can have, and to tax them properly.
This follows her successful motion in February calling for new builds to only be for those who will use them as their 'principle residence', stopping investors using them as second homes and holiday lets.
According to airdna.co, there are currently 4,310 active short-term lets available in Brighton and Hove. The picture above shows all of them: purple dots are full properties, blue is a room in a property.
The motion will be debated tomorrow at a full council meeting at Hove Town Hall.
🖋 NIBS 🖋
- The council is consulting on a proposal to help with bins obstructing pavements. The proposal involves informing residents of what they need to do to avoid causing unecessary obstruction including information about the right way to use and store waste wheelie bins and the use of recycling bins and boxes. Read more details and have your say in the online consultation, open until Sunday 28 August.
- The RNLI is warning people against 'tombstoning' after two people jumped into the sea from Palace Pier on Thursday night. Tombstoning (jumping into the sea from a cliff, pier, or other height) is dangerous at any state of the tide because of submerged rocks, strong currents and the shock of cold water. Brighton RNLI Lifeboat was launched at 6:07pm but stood down when it turned out the pair had a 'lucky escape'.
💥The Big One💥
Elm Disease rife across the city
What's happening? For the third summer in a row, there are high levels of Elm Disease across the city.
What does this mean? The council is having to cut down diseased trees to stop the spread, continuing at least until the end of September. This means a delay on 'less urgent tree work'.
Why until the end of September? Elm Disease spreads in the summer. It's caused by beetles which carry the disease, a fungus. And when there are an estimated more than 17,000 elm trees in the city, that's a lot of opportunity to spread.
Why are Elm Disease levels still high? Not only high, but tackling the disease is getting harder. The council says:
One of the most likely ways for a tree to become infected is via beetles breeding on elm logs stored in the area.
These logs may have been brought in from other parts of Sussex where there has been a massive rise in trees becoming infected and subsequent logs becoming available.
In recent years, there has also been a rapid increase in the number of wood-burning stoves being sold in the area, increasing the risk of contaminated wood coming into the city.
What work has been delayed? Pruning trees growing on to buildings, cutting low hanging branches, general street or park pruning to trees other than elms, and removing ‘whisker’ growth from bases of trees on streets. It doesn't affect weed removal around trees obstructing pavements.
Can I do anything to help? Yes! The council asks that people do not buy logs for winter fuel if the supplier cannot guarantee that the wood isn't elm. They also ask that people don't bring elm timber into Brighton (so if you're working on your elm import side-hustle, cut it out).
What if I already have timber or firewood and I don't know what it is? The council's arboriculture team offers a free inspection of firewood and other timber. If the wood is elm, they will dispose of it and give you a similar quantity free of charge. Contact them by emailing [email protected].
👉Finger On The Pulse👈
this isn't a joke: anywhere with aircon
🎶Gigs: anywhere with aircon. fatboy slim's playing on the beach but it's sold out already.
🎭Theatre: anywhere with aircon
🍿Cinema: anywhere with aircon
☕️ Where to eat? 🥪
☕️Coffee: anywhere with aircon.
🍱Dinner: anywhere with aircon
🍻Pint: anywhere with aircon
Comments ()