A former restaurant site at Brighton Marina may be turned into a jiu jitsu martial arts centre.
Art Suave, a Brazilian jiu jitsu company, wants to take over and convert the former Italian Brasserie restaurant at the Marina.
The company said – in its application to Brighton and Hove City Council for planning permission for change of use – that it wanted to make the site its European headquarters for “Gracie Jiu Jitsu”.
The space would have room for 20 people practising the martial art and space for parents to watch, with a small café providing drinks.
The company said that the space had been empty for two years.
It said that change of use from a restaurant to leisure facilities would bring more people to an area of the Marina which was not a prominent location.
The application said: “The proposal will result in the loss of a restaurant unit.
“However, the provision of leisure facilities, which do not already exist, would attract people to the Marina.”
Brazilian jiu jitsu developed from judo taught in Brazil by Japanese teachers.
It teaches a smaller person to defend themselves against a bigger person.
Art Suave Ltd said that it was a fundamental self-defence technique to empower women as well as offering children bully-proof programmes.
The application can be viewed by searching for BH2020/00404 on the council’s website at planningapps.brighton-hove.gov.uk.
