Police, the council and neighbours are against a new licence for music venue and night club The Haunt as it plans to move.
The venue in Pool Valley is taking over the former Dirty Blonde site in East Street as the Grosvenor Casino plans to expand to take over more of the former ABC cinema building.
The Haunt’s application to Brighton and Hove City Council seeks permission for licensing hours from 11am to 4am daily.
Neighbours living in nearby Clarendon Mansions have written to oppose the proposal, as has the management of the Queen’s Hotel opposite.
Debbie Gibson-Leigh, who chairs the Brighton Old Town Local Action Team and a Clarendon Mansions resident, questioned where The Haunt’s customers would queue.
She said: “Residents in Clarendon Mansions will suffer noise nuisance from customers milling around outside while waiting to enter the venue late at night.
“Cigarette smoke will intrude into bedrooms and living areas.
“Potential public safety and disorder issues could occur if queuing is allowed around Clarendon Mansions into Brills Lane, or south into East Street’s pedestrianised area, where residents’ front doors are situated.
“Residents are concerned that they will not be able to safely access Clarendon Mansions if large groups of people are allowed to gather outside.
“There are young children living in the building who would be directly affected by these issues.”
She also highlighted issues with noise from bands playing instruments late at night when leaving the venue.
Justin Manning, manager of the nearby Queen’s Hotel, said that even though no one wants an empty venue in Brighton, the site had caused noise problems for his residents for ten years.
He said: “As to the Haunt moving in to that space, while Dirty Blonde and Madam Geisha caused no end of issues, and noise complaints, this venue I fear would see an explosion.
“One only needs to walk past the current venue to see at any time of the day extremely noisy queues of people penned in with crowd control cages waiting to get in to the club.
“While that is probably an issue for the YHA and the Royal Albion Hotel, the area is a much wider and larger space helping to disperse the noise generated.”
Sussex Police is also against the new licence as is Brighton and Hove City Council’s licensing department, as the move is effectively a new club in the Cumulative Impact Zone (CIZ).
No new off-licences, clubs, takeaways or pubs are permitted in the zone unless there are exceptional circumstances.
These circumstances include consulting with the authorities and being socially responsible by making a community contribution.
In the letter of objection from Sussex Police, Inspector Di Lewis said that the application did not take the CIZ into account or offer any exceptional circumstances.
She said: “The applicant has offered a number of conditions. Sussex Police do not believe these go far enough to help mitigate any potential risk in a busy and central area of the city.
“The conditions offered fall short of the current citywide expected standard.
“Sussex Police have submitted a proposal to the applicant in regards to updated conditions and also asking them to look at applying for reduced hours and the surrender of the current licence at the premises but to date, we have not had a full response.”
The application goes before a council licensing panel today.
