Music fans will have a larger version of a Brighton night club to enjoy now that it has been given permission to carry out a conversion of its new premises.
The Haunt will take over the former Days Oriental restaurant in East Street, with Grosvenor Casino taking over The Haunt’s former site the Savoy Centre, formerly the ABC cinema in Pool Valley.
There are two elements to the new venue – a pub, to be entered through the original restaurant and cinema doorway, and a separate live music venue, on what was the main restaurant floor of Days and which will be the music venue.
The new space can also operate as a 400-seat theatre venue, providing a new independent space to attract different shows to the city.
Originally the Haunt was to move into the old Dirty Blonde, also in East Street, but the empty Days venue in the same building was considered more suitable.
The Haunt’s music venue entrance will be entered via Pool Valley, next to where clubbers currently go in.
The planning permission comes with conditins, including a requirment that the Haunt must close in its current location when it moves to the East Street site.
However, the casino cannot take over the Haunt’s current space until the club moves.
Councillors voted to grant the Haunt planning permission when the Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee met at Hove Town Hall this afternoon (Wednesday 20 March).
Labour councillor Clare Moonan abstained from the vote to expand the casino because of her concerns about gambling.
