The chance to run a city centre cafe is up for grabs, with just one catch – the successful tenant will have to stump up £360,000 to repair it first.
The Level cafe in Brighton has been closed since 2021 because of flooding, which an investigation found were caused by damage to Victorian drainage when the nearby skatepark was put in.
The public toilets were closed the following year after persistent vandalism, with 96 needles plus condoms, weapons and drugs found there in the first half of 2022.
Work has now started on converting the adjacent MacLaren pavilion into a much smaller cafe with three toilets.
But a 25-year commercial lease on the larger cafe – built at a cost of £1 million in 2012, is now up for grabs.
The price is not advertised, but the brochure says it would be worth about £30,000 per annum if in good repair.
It says: “As part of any transaction, the council will require the future occupant, at their own cost, to undertake within a set timeframe (ideally no longer than 12 months from lease commencement) the comprehensive schedule of works attached to these particulars.
“Preliminary estimates for the works indicate a likely cost of c£300,000 + VAT (as applicable).
“This figure is for guidance only and all relevant parties should undertake their own investigations and costings in this regard.”
The advert says the main building has 142 sq m, and the external terrace 243 sq m.
It says the former public toilets are not going to reopen as loos, and alternative uses such as storage are welcomed.
Although the only tenants to date have been cafes, it says the space would suit a variety of different occupiers, subject to planning.
A brief schedule of works is included, including removing graffiti, repalcing vandalised doors and replacing the rear doors with security doors after multiple break-ins.
It also includes installing new pipework and a pump system in case of future leaks.
The cafe will need to be stripped out, new stud walls built and the interior painted with biocidal paint to prevent black mould.
I bet the council would not give the cafe a drinks license for people having meals, i would say stay well clear its a white elephant.
I had to check the Calendar in case it was April 1st ! – they have to be kidding!
If someone was ever foolish enough to throw good money after repairing a building the Council has run into the ground and whose own hired skatepark contractors caused the damage that the Council failed to pursue, they (the tenants ) wouldn’t even own the property!!
It’s like they don’t want to get a tenant leading to an abandoned building that becomes unsafe and it then flattened, writing off the cost of building it!
Then they will rent the space to commercial events companies to profiteer off of another family and community oriented green space-
Council officers are treating residents like fools and charging us CT like a wounded rhino 🦏
In time for their Thriving Communities Investment Grant.
Where is the actual documentation or brochure about this?
Found it! https://propertylinkassets.estatesgazette.com/images/20240605/1-120283197.pdf
Absolute cheek. And then council will only offer a five year lease which means it is not worth anyone’s while taking it on and trying to build a business, only to potentially have it snatched away or not renewed after five years. BHCC are currently trying to scrap all 25 year leases. Not enough profit for them, but this will drive small businesses away.
Laughable. Half the price of the quote anyway as that’s the council quotes which everyone knows is nonsense.
But to suggest someone or business will even give that a thought on a 5 year lease… Well other than a lottery winner I can’t see it happening
Is it not 25 years?
It is 25 years and says so in the advert.
When can we bring back a guillotine to deal with the council’s incompetence.maybe then they will take the jobs seriously.anyone investigating kubic apartments in whitehawk 15yrs of building still not rented out.local residents driven to suicide.from constant building noise.
Nobody will be stupid enough to buy the property with this stipulation!
Surely the council as owners should be keeping their properties in good, usable condition. Not letting them go to ruin.
I was in East Brighton Park this week, just to see what it was like now. (I used to live in the Park House when I worked there).
The house has gone to ruin. It’s divided into two flats. But you can’t even get to the front door now.
I thought the council chases people with derelict houses to repair them so that homeless people can get a roof over their heads.
I suppose it’s a case of “do as I say, not as I do”.
Wouldn’t it be cheaper to knock it down and rebuild it
So the council contractors cause the damage and then the council want to charge someone else to repair it? They are going to try that one on me later in year when I have to pay my maintenance fees that will include damage caused to my roof and guttering by a council contractor whilst they were supposedly maintaining them. I will inform them that according to law if a contractor causes damage due their negligence then they have to incur the costs to return the property to the state in was in before their actions damaged it. It is why companies have public liability insurance. Surely the council contractors have this?
So if a local councillor reads this then please investigate why this has nota happened along with why, once again, the police have failed to prevent illegal activity preventing law abiding citizens partaking in everyday activities: Queens Road Gardens being another example: Katy Bourne; take note and action!!
On the one side, I can understand the logic here, giving it to a CIC, CIO, NFP, CLT, or other private legal structure may give it access to funding streams that are not available to BHCC, especially during its cash-strapped times. On the other, as a business, it is a fixer-upper, and is a business willing to do £300k of risk upfront to potentially make a profit later on down the line?
Ideal spot for mobile and streetfood vendors. I suggest raze to the ground.
Hope anyone taking on the level cafe get surveyors in. The level was originally stated not to flood for the original planning application for the cafe, but anyone understanding the way Brighton works knows the Wellsbourne and the Springbourne meet here in what a few hundred years ago was a swamp.
The cafe suffers from groundwater flooding where the two underground streams of water from the Downland meet before they head out to sea. They can blame damaging Victorian drainage but maybe they should have alerted Southern Water to this many years ago so they could fix it?
Perhaps they would find out that that isn’t the problem after all?