Plans for offices next to historic pub rejected

The Prince Albert is a Grade II listed property

Plans to build offices next to the Prince Albert pub in Brighton have been rejected.

Patricia Campings, who owns the former Thrifty Car Hire next to the pub, submitted plans for a four-storey office building, with a shop or cafe on the ground floor, and a basement that would have to be dug out.

The pub’s director, George Taylor, appeared to be on the verge of tears as Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee rejected the planning application.

Mr Taylor said that the Prince Albert “sits boldly on its corner plot” and a contemporary design would have a harmful effect on the Grade II listed building.

After the decision Mr Taylor said: “We want to see a development that will bring more people to the businesses that are already here, more of a variety of shops.”

Music fans voiced their concerns that any business moving into the site could complain about noise from the pub, placing it under threat.

More than 1,280 objections were submitted on the council’s website and a petition that started on 27 October had more than 18,000 signatures by the time the planning committee met.

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