New hotel will help transform West Street

Plans to regenerate the area at the bottom of West Street in central Brighton and provide restaurant/retail/bar uses and a 133 room hotel were given the go ahead by Brighton & Hove City Council’s planning committee on 13 July.

Councillors approved a masterplan for the site which lies between West Street,  Middle Street and South Street in central Brighton. It is a key area between the historic Lanes and the seafront and planners have worked closely with the developer to bring forward a successful scheme on a complex set of sites.

“This exciting new development will significantly regenerate the area, providing jobs and reinforcing Brighton’s role as a vibrant, thriving regional centre for shopping, leisure, tourism and business. We also welcome the high quality design of the scheme, which we hope will raise the bar for other new developments in the city,” said Cllr Julie Cattell, chair of the planning committee.

Architects Morgan Carn Partnership, working on behalf of London and Regional Properties and Smart Space UK, submitted two planning applications that were both approved by the committee.

The first application includes demolishing the former Headkandi nightclub between 78 West Street and 7-8 Middle Street and replacing it with a five, six and seven storey building incorporating shops, restaurant, café bar and a 133 room hotel. The building is currently being used by the Synergy Centre on a temporary basis.

The second application will see the semi-derelict buildings at 8-12a South Street demolished to create a new hotel with 91 rooms, which will include 22 ‘micro’ rooms – the first such accommodation in the city, plus an extension to the existing backpackers’ hostel at 79-81 West Street to provide 11 more rooms and a block four new flats.

Historic England commented that the scheme would ‘regenerate and enliven this neglected and run down part of the Old Town Conservation Area.’