Soho House given planning permission for Brighton club

Soho House has been given the go-ahead by planners for a new private members' club on Brighton seafront, following an application that divided local councillors and brought opposition from nearby hoteliers and residents.

Planning permission has been granted for a scheme comprising two art-deco style buildings on Brighton's Madeira Drive, close to the Sea Life centre. One building will house the new Soho House club, the other will be occupied by restaurants and a café that will be open to the public.

The redevelopment will see the demolition of seven vacant units in an area where food outlets have previously struggled. They are to be replaced with new, sustainable buildings that will have large areas of glazing and green roofs.

Objectors to the scheme claimed the new buildings, which are to be sited on the lower promenade, will rise to between 2m and 4m above the sea wall on Marine Parade, blocking the sea view of residents and other businesses.

"We have a terrace where people sit to enjoy the sea view in the summer, that will now be blocked," said Tony Chapman, owner of Legends hotel on Marine Parade, who campaigned against the planning application.

Charles Firth, general manager at the Amsterdam hotel, is concerned about the size and appearance of the development. "It is not in keeping with the style of the existing buildings along the seafront and its size is incongruous," he told The Caterer.

Soho House, founded by the 2015 Hotelier of the Year Nick Jones, currently has 15 properties across Europe and North America.

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