Thursday, 1 August 2024

Brighton Beach bathing boxes

James NEWBURY (Brighton) (10:51): Last week 20 of the Brighton Beach bathing boxes were broken into over three nights. The break-ins caused extensive damage and property was stolen. For background, the boxes are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register. Bayside council are custodians of the Brighton foreshore and box owners hold long-term leases, but council imposes all costs on the box leaseholders. Disappointingly, council refuses to provide any security or proper lighting of the beach despite it being a magnet to hundreds of thousands of tourists. Box owners are wrongly being forced to pay tens of thousands of dollars for private security to patrol the site, and let us not forget the Treasurer shamefully and mistakenly trying to charge owners land tax earlier this year. Given ongoing crime, we need enhanced security at the site and more broadly across Brighton.