52 Kenneth FinesNames on the buses
Connections with Brighton and Hove :
Few men have had more impact on Brighton than Kenneth Fines, who became planning officer for the resort in the Seventies. Before he arrived the council was considering widespread demolition in the centre so that a road on stilts could be built with an enormous car park at Bond Street. Fines persuaded councillors this would not be a good idea and the scheme was rejected in 1973. Later he suggested that the district near Brighton Station should be turned into a conservation area. The idea was controversial as conservation areas had previously only included grand houses. But the North Laine area, named after an old street pattern, worked well. Fines also ensured that the demolition of listed buildings in Brighton became a rarity rather than a regular occurrence.
A local man, Fines lived for many years in Hove and after his retirement bitterly opposed plans for hundred of flats on the King Alfred site on the seafront. He also found time to write a well received history of Brighton and Hove. It was the first to couple the two towns together.
His permanent memorial is the North Laine area where he personally planted a tree in Sydney Street.
