Gastropub’s plans to open in Brighton on hold after Ikea buys shopping centre

A gastropub which wants to open in Churchill Square has put its plans on hold after Ikea bought the shopping centre.

The Botanist, which has branches across the country, won both planning permission and an alcohol licence for a new pub in part of the former Topshop unit just over a year ago.

But the plans have been held up because of the sale of Churchill Square to Ingka Centres, Ikea’s parent company.

Ingka intends turning the vacant Debenhams unit into one of its city centre Livat stores, which stock its marketplace range and small items of furniture, but not the larger furniture available at its superstores.

The Botanist says it still wants to move into the shopping centre.

Tim McCormac, Property Director at New World Trading Company, which owns the gastropub chain, said: “Although plans are currently paused, we remain excited at the prospect of bringing The Botanist to Brighton and are hopeful of continuing with the development in the near future.”

The Botanist has permission to use part of the ground and first floors of the Topshop unit and to build a new roof terrace with outdoor seating.

the pub would have 264 covers inside, with 168 at seated tables and 96 in the bar areas.

It expects 214 more covers outside on the decked roof, with 102 seated and 112 in what was described as the bar/chill area.

A planning condition restricts the use of the roof terrace between midnight and 9am.

It has a licence to serve alcohol from 9am to 1am, with doors closing to new customers at midnight and asked to leave by 1.30am.