Green light sought for Grand illuminations

The Grand Brighton wants the green light to illuminate itself with different colours.

The Grade II listed hotel on King’s Road was given permission for floodlights in 2019, but with the condition only white lighting be used.

Since then, the Grand has been lit in rainbow colours for Pride, and in red and yellow for Bonfire Night.

It is now planning to light up for two charity events this month – and has requested its application be prioritised so it can do so with permission.

Most planning applications take considerably longer than this to be decided.

The application, written on the hotel’s behalf by Paul Galgey from consultants Planning Potential, says there have been discussions with Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning officers, who are agreeable in principle to coloured floodlighting on a maximum of 30 days a year.

It proposes 24 days, including Burning the Clocks, the Brighton Half Marathon and Pride, with further ad hoc days to be agreed via separate applications for listed building consent.

It says: “Given the intermittent nature of the proposed coloured illumination and the fact that floodlighting is already present, it is reasonably considered that the proposals amount to less than substantial harm to the significance of the heritage asset.

“This harm is very minimal, amounting to the illumination of the building in a non-neutral colour.

It is considered that the intermittent use of the hotel in this way would be mutually beneficial to the hotel and Council, in respect of place promotion and the marketing of tourist events.

It adds: “Officers have raised concern that the effect of using coloured lighting could “wash out” architectural details and create shadows on the building.

“It is submitted that the positions of the lighting installations would be no different if the building was illuminated in colour or neutral white.

“While it is acknowledged that a neutral scheme of lighting is perhaps most appropriate to reveal architectural features, it should be noted that the council has control over the instances of coloured lighting being used.

“Given that each individual event proposes a set colour, it is not the case that a particular ‘non-neutral’ colour scheme would ever become dominant.”