• About
    • Ethics policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Ownership, funding and corrections
    • Complaints procedure
    • Terms & Conditions
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
Brighton and Hove News
20 June, 2025
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Politics
    • Business
    • Opinion
    • Community
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Food and Drink
  • Sport
    • Brighton and Hove Albion
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
No Result
View All Result
Brighton and Hove News
No Result
View All Result
Home Arts and Culture

Brighton Hippodrome owners submit plans to restore landmark venue and build ‘apart-hotel’

by Frank le Duc
Wednesday 17 Aug, 2022 at 3:40PM
A A
2
Brighton Hippodrome’s new owners to spend six months working with campaigners on venue’s future

The owners of the Brighton Hippodrome have submitted a planning application for the restoration and renovation of the grade II* listed venue.

They said that their aim is “bringing the Hippodrome – the most at-risk theatre in the country – back to its former glory, as a multi-format live performance venue”.

The plans include creating a flexible performance space, restaurant and café, rooftop bar and terrace, an “apart-hotel”, serviced offices and shops.

The planning application, submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council, includes “part-demolition works and extensions” to the Victorian building, in Middle Street, Brighton.

It also includes a proposal to build a new six-storey apart-hotel, fronting Ship Street, and turning the old Hippodrome “fly tower” into offices.

The plans, submitted late last night month, propose turning Hippodrome House into a bar and members’ club, with an outside terrace. It would also contain some of the apart-hotel rooms.

The owners, the Lambor family, from Brighton, want to not only restore the derelict building but ensure that it can be placed on a financially sustainable footing.

The family has already spent a seven-figure sum stabilising the building, including making the roof watertight and dealing with rot. And the project to bring the building back to life is expected to cost many millions more.

A planning statement was submitted with the planning application. It was prepared by the ECE Planning consultancy for the Lambors, who own the Matsim group of property companies.

It said: “The Brighton Hippodrome, a grade II* listed building, has deteriorated into a state of disrepair since it was made vacant in 2006.

“The general neglect and lack of maintenance that have occurred during this period has led to the building being listed on Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register.

“The proposed development will represent significant investment into the building and an opportunity to arrest the current trend of degradation and enhance the significance of the building and its contribution to the wider Old Town Conservation Area.”

The 125-year-old Hippodrome was built as an ice rink in 1897, the planning statement said. It has since variously been a circus (1901-02), a variety theatre (1902-65) and, most recently, from the late 1960s to 2006, a bingo hall.

The planning statement added: “These uses have seen the building extended and altered in numerous ways, most notably in the addition and incorporation of Hippodrome House to the north of the original building.”

The recently restored occulus inside the Hippodrome in Brighton

At one point since it closed in 2006, there were plans to turn the venue into a night club and music venue.

And more recently, eight years ago, plans were approved to convert the landmark building into a cinema and food hall, create a mezzanine floor and demolish the fly tower.

The planning statement said: “The proposals represent the effective and efficient use of previously developed land to restore one of Brighton’s most valuable and iconic listed buildings, and one of the country’s most at risk theatres, and provide a landmark live entertainment venue and apart-hotel, all in a highly sustainable location.

“The proposed development will make a significant and valuable contribution towards … the hotel and leisure industry within Brighton and Hove.

“The proposals include the conversion and extension of the upper parts of Hippodrome House to create 16 self-contained apart hotel rooms.

“Also proposed is a new-build extension to the Hippodrome, with a dedicated entrance and sensitively designed frontage on to Ship Street, which will accommodate 62 apart-hotel rooms.

“Works to the upper volume of the Hippodrome fly tower will create approximately 850m2 of serviced offices and co-working space.”

A drone was used to take this picture of the Brighton Hippodrome last month, looking towards the Clock Tower at the top centre of the shot

The planning statement said that its proposal would create a flexible events space and add rooms in an area identified by the council as the “core zone” for hotels.

The inclusion of shared offices and co-working space was also consistent with council planning policies, the company said.

The planning statement added: “Reinstating and ensuring the future sustainability of the theatre is and has always been at the heart of this redevelopment scheme.

“It will allow the theatre to revert back to the intended use of its heyday and enable it to cater for a variety of other modern-day uses such as live music, events, conferences and performances.

“This multi-use approach has informed other aspects of the scheme which enable the building and Hippodrome site as a whole to evolve in order to meet modern-day expectations.

“This includes the incorporation of 16 apart-hotel bedrooms within Hippodrome House and a further 62 new-build rooms within the Ship Street Apart-Hotel which will serve and help sustain the proposed event use of the theatre, helping to ensure its long-term retention and maintenance.”

The planning statement said that the scheme would future-proof a much-loved historic building, boost the surrounding area and return the venue, designed by Frank Matcham, to its glory days.

ShareTweetShareSendSendShare

Comments 2

  1. Robert Arbery says:
    3 years ago

    Exciting news and a last chance for the Hippodrome – I really hope the planning department and the public get behind this. Matsim really seem to have heritage at the heart of this idea.

    Reply
  2. Ross McDavitt says:
    3 years ago

    My Mum, Dad, brother and i saw ‘Oklahoma’ here in the late 50s or early 60s.
    I hope it gets back to its former glory!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Most read

Crash closes A27 in both directions

Brighton man jailed for years of abusing girls starting when he was just 10

Conspiracy theorist guilty of shoving trans activist

Duo sought in connection with bag theft

Fake Uber driver convicted of kidnap and sex attacks for second time

Tough decisions steer council finances into the black

Councillors to debate ways to manage Airbnbs

Meeting called to discuss school’s academy plans

Brighton Hippodrome owners submit plans to restore landmark venue and build ‘apart-hotel’

Nine Inch Nails at the top of their game

Newsletter

Arts and Culture

  • All
  • Music
  • Theatre
  • Food and Drink
Nine Inch Nails at the top of their game

Nine Inch Nails at the top of their game

19 June 2025
Boys from the Blackstuff triumphs in Brighton

Boys from the Blackstuff triumphs in Brighton

19 June 2025
Sunday (1994) announce Brighton concert

Sunday (1994) announce Brighton concert

19 June 2025
The March Violets announce Brighton concert

The March Violets announce Brighton concert

19 June 2025
Load More

Sport

  • All
  • Brighton and Hove Albion
  • Cricket
Brighton and Hove Albion sign Italy international

Brighton and Hove Albion sign Italy international

by Frank le Duc
17 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have signed a 21-year-old Italy international to add to the Seagulls’ defensive options. Diego Coppola has...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Sussex Sharks stay top of their group with T20 triumph at Glamorgan

by Blake Bint - ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay
14 June 2025
0

Glamorgan 172 (18.5 overs) Sussex 199-7 (20 overs) Sussex won by 27 runs. Sussex 4 points, Glamorgan 0 points. Sussex...

Sussex Sharks open T20 Blast with a win

Rain saves Sussex Sharks in T20 against Essex at Hove

by Adrian Colley
13 June 2025
0

Sussex 23-3 (3.1 overs) Essex 177-4 (17 overs) No result Essex’s hopes of claiming their first win of the season...

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

Brighton and Hove Albion announce Kostoulas signing

by Frank le Duc
12 June 2025
0

Brighton and Hove Albion have announced the signing of 18-year-old striker Charalampos Kostoulas from Greek champions Olympiacos on a five-year...

Load More
August 2022
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jul   Sep »

RSS From Sussex News

  • Sex attacker’s victim died days after court ordered retrial 19 June 2025
  • Jury convicts fake Uber driver of kidnap and sex attacks for second time 19 June 2025
  • A27 closed in both directions after crash 19 June 2025
  • Hospital trust agrees six-figure payout after seven-year battle over traumatic birth 17 June 2025
  • CPS drops rape case against Sussex Police officer 17 June 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Contact
  • Support
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy
  • Complaints
  • Ownership, funding and corrections
  • Ethics
  • T&C

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Opinion
  • Arts and Culture
    • Music
    • Theatre
  • Sport
    • Cricket
  • Newsletter
  • Public notices
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Contact

© 2023 Brighton and Hove News