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OCEAN HOTEL NEWS
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Demolition photos
By Douglas d'Enno - thanks Douglas as always!
Grand Ocean used
for Poirot episode
many thanks to Douglas d'Enno for use of the photo
Beautiful
Photos of the interior decorations of the Ocean Hotel taken
by local Historian Douglas d'Enno - thanks Douglas!
Here
See also the history of the
Ocean Hotel here
Details about the Ocean's
'twin' - the Midland Hotel in Morecombe here
BITTER MEMORIES OF 'B' COMPANY
article by Douglas d'Enno - many thanks as always!
Among the fascinating documents in the Mass-Observation
Archive series recording everyday life in Britain from 1937
to the early 1950s are three startling wartime papers relating
to service life in Saltdean's now-derelict Ocean Hotel as
recalled by a member of the ATS.
The role of the women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service,
which numbered some 20,000 recruits during the Second World
War, was to replace men from the Army. They acted as office,
mess and telephone orderlies, drivers of lorries and other
vehicles, butchers, bakers, postal workers, ammunition inspectors,
military police and gun crews and additionally performed
many other operational support tasks.
Companies were based at "depots" and Saltdean's
luxury hotel, only opened the previous summer, was taken
over for the purpose in December 1939.
The first letter from our anonymous correspondent, a fervidly
patriotic Scot, was sent the following spring.
She was a nurse by training who in the First World War had
served as a hostel forewoman in the WAACS (Women's Army
Auxiliary Corps) and loved it.
When peace came she had moved to the USA and continued her
work as a nurse, school matron and school camp caterer.
When Hitler's war started, she patriotically dashed over
to join up.
Fate led her to "The Ocean". Yet before long she
was requesting a discharge.
On March 1, 1940, she wrote: "Imagine my disappointment
on coming here to more muddle and more chores. I was on
HQ staff but was supposed to do the usual two weeks in a
company, even though I am not a new recruit and I would
not let them think that I hadn't the gumption to scrub concrete
passages (if you've ever had a shot at that you'll know
it's a futile job), burn rubbish, etc.
"I was awfully upset for a few days when I came here
but I'm getting used to the concentration camp. It's absurd
to think that the war is going on against tyranny and aggression
yet this place is full of it. Some of the officers are very
rude, they bully the NCOs who for the most part are very
ordinary types, and then they in turn bully the girls."
A perfect example of the uncouthness of NCOs was the instance
where some girls left the dining hall by the wrong door
and an NCO said, "Them girls must be taught to be be'ave.
We must learn them manners."
Our informant aired her grievances publicly, writing to
Eleanor Rathbone MP, who, however, felt the complaints were
too vague to do anything about, stating it was the first
case of muddle in the women's services she'd heard of.
A letter was also fired off to journalists Tom and Cryssal
Pudney, who were writing a series on women and war work
in the News Chronicle. They replied "If we had only
had it before dealing with the A.T.S. question, we should
have done our best to find out about such things you mention
- which many of us suspect without having definite proof."
In her letter of March 13, our unhappy servicewoman complained
that she was beginning her fifth month in the army and hadn't
done anything "worth crossing the street for."
There was misery, humiliation and disregard for comfort,
health and self-respect. The recruits had to queue - mainly
for meals - seven times a day for an average of 15 minutes
(one time it was 35), in some cases after backbreaking fatigues.
These included the scrubbing of concrete passages on hands
and knees already referred to. The sand came off the concrete
all time, it could not be made to look decent and fingers
were left black and bruised.
Although the hotel had a marvellous dishwasher, it was
rather noisy. Any washing-up not done by 9 a.m. (sometimes
masses of it) had to be done by hand because the noise annoyed
the CO.
The food was "rotten" and inadequate, yet the
waste was terrific, and all the girls supplemented. One
meal caused a large number to be sick in the night. Tea
was served in buckets!
Anyone sick, however ill, had to report on her feet. There
was a lack of comfort in the quarters. Bedrooms could not
be left before 9 a.m., nor could the wash-basin in them
be used between the inspection at that hour by a sub-leader
and the 12 o'clock inspection by a higher officer.
Off the premises, there were the hated route marches through
the streets, with idiotic saluting by women officers and
some men officers and the absurd guard's swing of the arms.
Then there were the regular shifts of guard duty - with
a stick. It could not be used to hit anyone but there was
much ridiculous, and often humiliating, training in how
it should be held.
Ultimately, the girls became either smarmy, trying to curry
favour with the NCOs and officers, or rebellious. Some simply
ran away
Our informant's discharge came through just before Easter
1940 and she successfully applied to join the WAAF. Prior
to taking up her appointment, she filled in by working as
matron in a private house in Chelmsford accommodating 10-12
"difficult" evacuees.
Following training at West Drayton, where there were 22
- "a nice crowd" - in her hut, she was posted
to a secret station and worked at the RAF HQ. With an officer
who was "a sport" and sharing a comfortable apartment
house with so many colleagues to a flat, each with their
special trades, she thoroughly enjoyed her new life. Her
days in 'B' company at the Ocean Hotel became, thankfully,
a fast-receding memory.
Douglas
d'Enno
Saltdean Residents' Association
LATEST INFORMATION
Ocean Hotel - APPLICATION DEFERRED
Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee met on
Wednesday 8 June 2005 to consider the application on the
Ocean Hotel.
I spoke at the meeting about the loss of the 53 car parking
spaces in this revised application.
The Councillors on this Committee had a site visit to the
hotel on Tuesday. They welcomed the application and discussed
the application. They have 'deferred' it to receive further
information on:
§ Design
§ Use of materials to construct the new parts of the
development
§ Schedule of internal features
§ Re examine car parking
§ Section 106 (planning gain) monies and use of these
§ Community facilities being offered in the development
It is hoped that all this information should be available
for Councillors to re-consider the application in three
weeks time.
Further consultation with the community is to take place.
We shall continue to monitor the situation.
Duncan Ward
Chairman
Wednesday 8 June 2005
Saltdean Residents Association Statement June
6th 2005
re Ocean Hotel Planning Application
Ocean Hotel
The planning application for the Grand Ocean Hotel is finally
being heard this week by Brighton & Hove City Council
Planning Committee.
When the application was first made in December 2004 the
application was for 289 residential units and 263 car parking
spaces.
The application has been delayed due to various issues
that the Council officers and planners wanted resolved.
The revised application is for
279 residential units (a decrease of 10 units) and
210 car parking spaces (a reduction of 53 spaces).
The Saltdean Residents' Association feels that this is
too great a number of car parking spaces to loose. We have
therefore strongly opposed the reduction of car parking
spaces.
The loss of 53 car parking spaces in the new development
is too many!
I will speak at the meeting to voice our extreme concern
as it will greatly impact on the surrounding residential
roads.
Duncan Ward
Chairman
Monday 6 June 2005
Saltdean Residents Association News
Quarterly Meeting Saturday 29th January
Ocean Hotel update - The planning application has
given in on the week ending 3rd December and 230 individuals
and organisations were consulted. The SRA have been concerned
about the security of the building and there is a fence
around the site. There will be security guards on site shortly.
The planning should take around 8 weeks.
Duncan asked us all whether we could think of any areas
where the hotel was open to the members of the public. The
meeting came up with many examples from the swimming pool
and shops to birthday parties and function hire.
Duncan will pass this on to the council who have requested
the information - it may be concerning the 106 Agreement
which Cllr David Smith hopes will provide around half the
cost of a new community centre - £150,000 of £300,000
(approximately).
November 2004 Update
The architects Rolfe-Judd have very
kindly passed on some images of the hotel before and after
refurbishment.
I have placed them on Gallery
Page 25 here
Report of the special meeting of the Saltdean Residents
Association 25/09/04 (there must have been almost 200
people there so it was full to capacity).
Chair Evelyn George welcomed everyone to a special meeting
of the Saltdean Residents Association. It fell between two
quarterly meetings and it wouldn't be normal business so
it was only appropriate to talk about the Grand Ocean Hotel
development.
She underlined that the planners had approached the SRA
for views and thoughts and they were both on the panel -
John Jowitt the planning director and Matthew Williams the
architect.
John Jowitt spoke.....
He thanked everyone for coming and said that he recognised
a few faces. The planning was in a very early phase and
that they wished to get local views before submitting the
planning application. The meeting also in no way invalidated
anyone's right to make comments at a later date. He said
that the response had been largely positive at the exhibition
and they had received many detailed comments.
It was very clear that they intended to use some of the
space in the hotel building for nonresidential purposes.
The canteen and the dining room would be used for other
purposes. A library had been suggested and also the council
has suggested the doctors surgery at the Oval relocate.
Whatever was decided this would need to be compatible with
a housing potential.
Matthew Williams spoke.......
He said that there were two sites that they intended to
use. One was the hotel and one the hotel car park. The hotel
is grade two listed and was in fairly poor condition. They
would keep the front building and restore the ornamental
garden - they have consultants working on this including
a landscape architect on the front garden.
The back of the hotel is intended to replace the six residential
blocks with six wings orientated differently in the car
park.
The concept would be compatible with the existing design
and that of the 1930's Lido. There would be an underground
car park. There would be much disabled access throughout
the scheme.
They would restore the features in the main building and
bring them back to their former glory. The landscape was
very important to consider as the wind and salt makes it
quite hostile.
There were several issues of concern. One was the loss
of the swimming pool. This is unfortunate as it is non compatible
with the underground car park.
Parking was another issue of concern but they emphasised
that actually the council in general put parking way down
on their priorities. They were however undertaking a traffic
impact assessment.
The mass of the rear of the building was another issue
and this has been taken on board and five stories have been
reduced to four (three?).
The 330 flats proposed have been reduced to 270 car parking
spaces and the 270 car parking spaces mean that there is
over 90% provision.
The issue of affordable housing means that they will provide
30% affordable housing - the council asks for 40% but the
special circumstances mean that they will provide 30%..
There are three types of subsidised housing - housing association
and shared equity, 50% rent / 50% own and low cost - 75%
of the market value.
Other possible uses of the large spaces, which have great
views, are a cinema, play facility, relocation of the beauty
parlors. These must be compatible with the development and
it is not necessarily a family development. It also must
not affect existing facilities. They are carrying out the
study on transport, existing shops and the school and the
council will advise them on what is needed.
The development has to pay for any additional needs. The
boards at the meeting have been displayed for local residents
before the council and he did underline that although it
was easy to be cynical they were genuinely trying to get
locals views.
Questions from the floor.....
Why isn't there a 3D model?
- There was at the exhibition but it is being amended at
the moment due to the reduction in the number of units.
They hope to get it back before the quarterly SRA meeting
on 18th October.
What about security at the underground car park?
- There will be a service charge for the units and this
will be considered - maybe CCTV etc. The police are consulted
as a matter of course and there will be some kind of concierge
facility at the front of the building. They will be secure
but not intimidating and much of the gardens will be overlooked
so there is less likely to be vandalism etc.
Is there a similar development that we can look at to see
potential problems and how they were solved?
- JG Estates are not hugely seeking publicity but although
here is no current
website they are currently preparing one alongside a brochure.
There have been development elsewhere though not of this
scale and problems have been overcome.
You can however contact them at john.jowitt@jowittassociates.co.uk
What about the hotels flat roof?
- This would be flat in accordance with keeping the design
of the hotel and there would be some garden developments
making use of the gardens as private amenity spaces. The
building regs respond to the 1930's design and elevations
and it would be as efficient as possible with a large amount
of insualtion. Materials would be chosen very carefully.
Would there be extra buses and would the contractors
not park at peak time in a manner that would cause a nuisance
to residents?
- This would be considered although the buses are the remit
of the council. There will be however the traffic assessment
and a phasing programme of routes etc.
Back to the building and problems?
- The building work will be done in phases. The main problem
with a similar development was a close proximity to a drug
clinic. Responding to questions of low cost housing he said
that it will be very different to council blocks which usually
suffered from lack of investment, interest and money.
Why can't we keep the swimming pool and can we have
a community cafe and childcare? What about sustainable homes?
- The homes will be as sustainable as possible and the
swimming pool,will be closed in a month but there will be
an underground car park. Sustainability features are very
forward thinking and minimise loss of heat etc. and take
into account the environment around them.
What will the units cost?
- They can't give a price but it should increase property
values in the area. The hotel will close anyway but they
can bring to life the original features - apparently there
is a dolphin under the carpets!
What about problems social housing will bring?
- Social housing does not necessarily bring social problems.
There are a large number of non beds, less two beds and
a few three beds - they will be largely for elderly people
realistically but they should then free up their homes for
families to move into the area.
There were a few extra questions but as everyone was leaving
it was very difficult to hear.
Any questions contact the planner on john.jowitt@jowittassociates.co.uk
or address on page three of the resident make your views
know to the residents association on sra1934@hotmail.comsra1934@hotmail.com
Alternatively make your views known on this page (or correct
any of this report although I think it is fairly accurate)
by emailing me here
More news coming shortly
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