Queen’s Head in Brighton needs tarting up, says council

The new owner of a Brighton pub is being urged to carry out essential repairs by the end of the year.

The Queen’s Head, opposite Brighton Station, also needs repainting, according to Brighton and Hove City Council.

The council has served a formal enforcement notice, ordering the owner Matsim Properties to

• Wash down and repaint the eastern – or Queen’s Road – frontage at first and second floor level
• Wash down and repaint the northern wall which faces the station
• Repair and make good all the windows and woodwork on the eastern frontage at first and second floor level and reinstate glazing where required
• Repaint all external timberwork on the eastern frontage at first and second floor level including window frames and door frames
• Repair and repaint the balcony railings at first floor level on the eastern frontage
• Clear gutters and downpipes of all overgrown vegetation 

The notice comes into force on Sunday 1 April and gives Matsim nine months to complete the work.

Councillor Phelim Mac Cafferty, the chairman of the council’s planning committee, said: “We are confident that the new owner will carry out the repairs and repainting but felt it was appropriate to set a timescale to ensure that work starts soon.

“The property is one of the first buildings seen by visitors and tourists arriving in the city by train.

“For that reason, it’s incredibly important that this first impression is a positive one.  “When properties fall into disrepair it negatively affects the whole area and those who visit and live there.

“It’s important that the buildings in this key area look well maintained not just for visitors arriving in the city but also for the community who live and work here.”

He added that once the repairs and repainting had been carried out, the pub would join other buildings in the area which had recently been given a facelift.

“We served enforcement notices on two other buildings in Queen’s Road and are delighted to see that the work has encouraged others in the area to repaint their properties.”

Matsim Properties has submitted a planning application to convert the upper storeys of the building into flats.