About the Kemp Town Society

The Society membership consists of residents of the Estate and the wider community who share the importance of maintaining or improving the work of preservation of the Estate and upholding of its Grade 1 listing status as one of the leading residential Regency conservation areas in the UK as designated under section 227 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1971. Its future goal is to entrench the Estate and the Enclosures, the 4 acres of gardens around which the Estate are planned, as a World Heritage site.

The Estate, consisting of Sussex Square, Lewes Crescent and the adjoining Arundel and Chichester Terraces, covers a larger area than Grosvenor Square, London. Eclipsing Bath’s Royal Crescent in diameter, Lewes Crescent is the largest residential crescent in Europe. Possessing the same style and structure as houses in Belgravia and Pimlico, the Estate's commanding position overlooking the English Channel underscores Brighton's image as "London by the sea". The original estate was laid out in 1825, but eventually scaled back to 105 houses by 1828. Many houses were purchased by Thomas Cubitt, the house builder of Belgravia and Pimlico, when Thomas Kemp became impecunious. This was prior to the railway arriving in Brighton in 1844 and the novelty of seawater "batheing".

The Society's mission is to be the voice of its membership who are entrusted with upholding the grand vision of the Estate's founder, The Revd. Thomas Reed Kemp and his architects, Charles Busby and Amon Wilds (architects of the Houses of Parliament). In addition, the Society stands up on behalf of members against unwanted decisions detrimental to the Estate conservation principles as well as provide a social forum of entertainment events and encourage an interactive community spirit for its members, which is often extended to other residents on the estate and further afield.

The Society Chairman and main Committee supply the Society's voice on behalf of the membership to act or react to many issues, often along with conservation and residential groups charged with similar aims. In particular new developments within the sight lines of the Estate, especially within or near the Brighton Marina, as well as individual house or flat alteration planning applications have become the focus of the Committee's efforts. These dialogues are invariably with area Ward Councillors, Council officials or Council Committee members. Whether information gathering or giving, the end purpose is to influence decision makers of our collective view on the matter at hand. Where such planning changes are considered to be contrary to the architectural integrity and appreciation of the Estate, insensitivity to the contiguous nature of the "whole" of the Estate, the Society has and will continue to take on all matters to challenge such change. This is invarably necessitated by the erosion of maintenance of public spaces and services and degradation of building materials and craftsmanship and the erosion of confidence in public service to withstand the economic imperatives of short term decisions and the unintended impact of bureaucracy at the behest of political expediency.

The Society holds its Annual General Meeting in the springtime - usually April each year. The Treasurer issues the financial report of the Charity.

Sub-Committees

There are two Sub-Committees: Planning and Social.

1. The Planning Sub-Committee, recently formed, has been been engaged with such matters as the Marina (Brunswick Developments and X-Leisure) and Black Rock (Arena) developments, parking issues, and the recurrent communal bins issue. There are many such matters which require contant diligence of the sub-committee members. (see Planning).

The enormity of the issues of dealing with City wide matters with the Council has necessitated engaging our forces with those of other conservation groups in order to challenge the Council "en-masse". This also has the effect of making the council take note of collective arguments covering large numbers of households and voters and avoids "nimbyism".

The Society has a representative on The Conservation Advisory Group (CAG), an informal body designed to represent before Council the interests of the leading Brighton and Hove conservation groups.

2. The Social Sub-Committee organises the Annual Summer Party, frequent tours to the Theatres in London, Chichester and Glyndebourne. Local events are regularly staged in the Enclosures. View events for more information.