Hippodrome planning application gets the green light
The application to transform Brighton Hippodrome and Hippodrome House into a mixed-use development including a performance space, hotel, shop, bar and members’ club was granted by councillors at Planning Committee today (3 April 2024).
Councillor Liz Loughran, Chair of the Planning Committee said: “The Hippodrome theatre is a superb historic building that has been shut for too long.
“The scheme that councillors have approved today will protect and restore its historic features and bring the Hippodrome back into use as another entertainment venue for the city.
“The developers will be bringing forward the restoration and I’m delighted that the committee has given their plans the green light.”
The decision
As the Hippodrome is a listed building located in a conservation area the council has a statutory duty to have special regard to preserving the building, any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses, its setting and the character of the area.
Following amendments to the scheme and a re-consultation in April 2023, the council had received comments from the public both supporting and objecting to the scheme.
Planning Committee members studied the application documents and comments received and visited the site ahead of the meeting. At Committee they heard a report from council planning officers and a submission by the developers.
Councillors voted unanimously to grant planning permission accepting officers’ recommendations that while the scheme will cause some detriment to the building and local area this is outweighed by the public benefits of restoring and re-using the Grade II * Listed Building in a way that is viable and sustainable.
The theatre proposal
The approved application will restore and bring the auditorium back into use as a flexible performance or events space capable of hosting both musical and theatrical performances. It could also be a venue for conferences, exhibitions, banquets, screening films, hosting lectures and weddings.
The decorative plasterwork in the auditorium will be restored with the retention of a number of historic fixtures and fittings. The ground floor of the venue will have a kitchen and bar areas within the auditorium.
A rehearsal performance space will be created on the mezzanine level above the stage’s fly-tower. Additional ‘apart-hotel’ bedrooms will be created on the floor above.
The circle level will give access to an enclosed roof top bar leading onto an external roof terrace.
The ground floor lobby of the auditorium will be converted to a bar/restaurant opening onto Middle Street catering for around 100 diners indoors and outside, subject to permits being granted.
The apart-hotel
The application is for an extension at the rear and side of the theatre auditorium and infilling the rear car park to create a new 3 to 7 storey apart-hotel providing 62 rooms looking out onto Ship Street, with a new retail unit at ground floor level.
Apart-hotels are apartments where you can stay for a short time and that offer services like a hotel - for example tea and coffee, food and drink, towels and cleaning services. The development of the apart-hotel would help support the restoration of the performance space.
Hippodrome House
The ground floor of Hippodrome House will be remodelled as a private members’ club with a bar, lounge areas and an outside terrace. Licencing restrictions would apply.
At mezzanine level there would be a members’ dining room, with the upper parts of the house remodelled to develop 16 apart-hotel rooms.