Bison Beer is saying goodbye to one of its pubs – but hoping to open another very soon.
The beer company announced this week its North Road bar is closing, a few months after attempting to keep it going after downsizing from four floors to two.
But although that hasn’t worked out, it is hoping to open another bar in Hove in the near future.
Time at the bar for our North Laine location #Brighton pic.twitter.com/DIhqlJYnBd
— Bison Beer (@bisonbeer) January 5, 2024
Director Jack Cregan said: “We’ve given it a go running the bottom two but it’s not viable for us as a business so we’ve mutually agreed to activate the break clause in our lease after six years.
“It’s been a tough site, but we had some success there so it feels like a positive experience overall.
“But we’re looking at another site in Hove.”
Bison Beer took over the North Road venue in 2018, after a string of bars and restaurants had struggled to make the location work.
But it proved a hit – until the shift to working from home during lockdown took away its customers, who have been slow to return.
The building’s landlord Dan Fox’s application to turn the top two floors into two flats was approved in September.
The planning application, written by Lewis and Co Planning for Mr Fox, says: “The existing tenants are currently operating at a substantial loss and are anticipating utilising an upcoming break clause in their lease. This will leave the premises vacant.
“However, with the benefit of a development strategy for the site, the tenants would be very likely to continue to operate from the remaining commercial space, reducing their rent by around 45%, allowing the business to become viable again.
“The applicant has been advised by local agents that finding new tenants for the commercial space would be extremely difficult.
“The current proposal therefore both secures the viability of the existing business, and ensures the site will not become vacant.”
The application also suggests requiring specific glazing and ventilation via planning conditions to ensure future residents are not affected by noise.
