A fire which tore through an outbuilding on Lewes Road on Monday night is being treated as arson.
The blaze broke out at about 7pm on the site next to homes in Gladstone Terrace, opposite St Martin’s Church.
Police closed Lewes Road while five crews used the aerial ladder platform to quench the flames.
Today, Sussex Police confirmed the fire is being treated as suspicious.
A spokesman said: “Emergency services responded to a fire at an address in Gladstone Terrace, Brighton, at about 7.10pm on Monday, June 5.
“The incident is believed to have been caused deliberately and police are investigating a suspected arson.
“Witnesses or anyone with information, including any CCTV, mobile phone, or dashcam footage, is asked to report it to Sussex Police online, quoting serial 1335 of 05/06.”
The derelict piece of land which was previously a car showroom, until it was demolished in 2019.
In 2020, developer John Blankson was granted permission to build a four-storey building including flats and a retail unit.
In 2021, Southdown Housing Association applied for planning permission for a similar scheme, intending to use the flats for supported housing.
The planning application said it was intending on buying the site if planning permission was given.
This was granted permission in February last year, subject to negotiations over a financial contribution in lieu of affordable housing provision.
However the application was subsequently withdrawn in August.
