The launch of www.northlaine.co.uk on Thursday 5th October at the Jubilee library was a great success. Nearly 100 members and guests including David Lepper M.P. and NL councillor Sue Paskins joined the committee for a glass of wine and to watch deputy Mayor Bob Carden launch the site. We have had excellent feedback from the site and are receiving over 2000 hits per week already. Every shop in North Laine is mentioned and NLTA members have an extra page to give their shops details, photos etc. Please make sure that you have given us your information at www.northlaine.co.uk (click on “submit your information” ).
We also need all members to set up a link from their websites to us so that more people find us. If you are unsure how to do this contact Brian on thenorthlaine@yahoo.co.uk

This years Christmas lights will have a celebrity switch on at 6pm on Thursday 16th November at a glittering event at the Clock tower. The lights have been arranged by the BID board this year and are certainly an improvement on our efforts over the last couple of seasons. After the switch on, the princess, reindeer and elves will proceed down North Street, turn into Bond Street, carry on along Gardner Street, Kensington Gardens and end up in Sydney Street. They will then retrace their steps to cross North Street and enter the Lanes.

The North Laine and the Lanes will hold the first of their late night Christmas shopping evenings on the same evening and the BID board will be aiming for a lot of publicity to let shoppers know of the event. The Council will put in place a rolling series of road closures during the event which will start about 5.45pm and continue until approximately 7.30pm.

The NLTA hope that as many members as possible join in with this event!

This will be the ideal opportunity to invite special customers, put on promotions and offer incentives in the street outside your premises as many of you did at the late night shopping evenings last year. We will be producing Christmas shopping evening posters for the Thursday evenings and members will be able to collect these from their street reps nearer the event.

The event will be promoted across all the appropriate Sussex media so please contact us with details of any special activities or offers on the night that you would like us to promote. If you’re offering discounts to customers or giving away mulled wine, if you’ve got your own street performers or staff in costume, please let us know so we can tell the public what a wonderful evening it will be! If you’d like to get involved in any way, we’d like to hear from you

Please contact: BID team @ The Priory Partnership, 01273 207155 or
BID@priory-partnership.co.uk or Peter on 601641.

At the recent Southern Water/Council liaison meeting on Friday 27th of October we were given the schedule for the next couple of months work. The biggest disruption will be the closure of the east bound lane of North Street from January 8th 2007 for approximately 44 weeks. This will entail buses coming from the Steine and going to Churchill Square or the station travelling along the seafront, up West Street, which will be made one way up hill from Kings Road to the clock tower and then onto their normal route. This will obviously affect both traders and residents in roads adjoining North Street but is essential work that has to be done. Southern Water will attempt to keep disruption to a minimum. A replacement Gas main will be laid in North Street at the same time to stop double disruption. Southern Water will be notifying all premises that will be affected shortly and the information will contain a helpline number. Works are still ongoing in Church Street and Gloucester Road.

We will be holding our Christmas meeting at 6pm on Tuesday 5th December at the Brighton Business Forum offices 8 – 11, Pavilion Buildings. (Above the Nat West Bank at the bottom of North St.). Members are welcome to come and join us for an informal meeting and a glass of wine to look back on the work the association has achieved this year.Merry Christmas!