The owner of the Royal Albion Hotel still owes nearly £1 million to Brighton and Hove City Council two years after a fire ravaged the seafront landmark.
Britannia Hotels paid £500,000 towards the seven-figure costs of demolishing the grade II listed old “Lion Mansion Hotel” section of the building after a fire in July 2023.
The deputy leader of the council Jacob Taylor said: “We issued a further invoice for £988,000 to Britannia Hotels in March this year to recover the costs of demolition and making the site safe.
“We continue to work with Britannia Hotels to obtain payment and remain committed to ensuring costs are repaid in full to the council by putting measures in place to guarantee this outcome.”
The fire started on Saturday 15 July 2023 and destroyed much the oldest part of the building on the seafront side, in Grand Junction Road.
Part of the western end of the premises had to be demolished so that firefighters could reach the blaze which destroyed the five-storey building right down to the basement.
In the aftermath, the council stepped in to ensure that the A259 seafront road could reopen safely and as soon as possible, with businesses such as the Palace Pier reporting a significant dent in their revenues.
The road was closed again in March when the council was warned that the scaffolding and part of the remaining structure was at risk of collapse.
A specialist report published last week as Britannia’s planning application to formalise the demolition process said that what remained in February this year was in “poor condition”.
The report, by Structural Surveys, a Birmingham company, said that “even a modest wind” could cause further cracking to the remaining three-storey wall.
So we assume this payment attracts the commercial rate of interest.
Bet the owner is a yet another one of those very rich people we have in B&H taking the mick out of all of us! This city is just a joke and yet nothing is done. Hope B&HCC manage to salvage that
well needed cash
Although the headline is suitably dramatic and I’m sure will attract lots of interest, I imagine that the reality is that the insurers are actually responsible for the cost of not only the councils outlay, but also the full rebuild cost, loss of business etc etc. This will be in the multiple millions and they will be negotiating to the max not simply handing over a cheque.
How are they ‘working with them to obtain payment’? They’re either paying it or they’re not and if not, take the appropriate action.
Cheque is in the post. Lol
This council should tell Britannia if they don’t pay the debt they will go for compulsory purchase turn it into affordable housing. Britannia are taking the p… s
No more hostels/ affordable housing / HMOs in the city centre. Such short sighted measures are destroying the character and heritage of our city centre. AFFORDABLE HOUSING SHOULD BE IN THE SUBURBS / RESIDENTIAL AREAS ONLY
I think the site owner has no intention of paying the bill. Who started the fire and is the property insured? Surely the insurance company should pay the council? (Public Liability insurance). If this is not a suitable way to get the council refunded then the site owner should be sued in the High Court for £2m, drag their bad name through the courts, to include expenses and interest accrued. Moral of the story… Where there is money owed there are those happy to turn the other way. Shame on the site owners.