Application Submitted To Demolish Fire-Ravaged Seafront Hotel

An application to demolish part of the fire-ravaged Royal Albion Hotel has been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council almost two-years after the devastating blaze.

The retrospective application was submitted to the council and published on the council website on Monday (10 June).

It seeks permission to demolish the grade II listed old “Lion Mansion Hotel” which formed the western end of the Royal Albion.

The owner, Britannia Hotels, instructed the Brighton planning consultancy Lewis and Co to prepare its application which was described as “regularising” what had already happened.

The fire started on Saturday 15 July 2023 and ravaged 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 to reach the fire which destroyed the five-storey building down to the basement.

Much of the rest of the fire-damaged section was demolished for safety reasons by Brighton and Hove City Council, with the council footing the bill and looking to recover the cost.

What remained was said to be in a “poor condition” in a survey carried out in February by a Birmingham company, Structural Surveys, and submitted as part of the application.

The structural report said that “even a modest wind” could cause further cracking to the remaining three-storey wall which was demolished in March.

The Structural Surveys report said:

“The imperative to undertake site clearance work in relation to the contaminated infilling that lies across the site and which in itself presents a significant risk has been considered.

“Such works could not, in our opinion, be safely undertaken with the remnants of the LMH (Lion Mansion Hotel) building to the rear in place in their current condition.”

The application said that the demolition of a grade II listed building without permission was a “serious matter”.

Britannia’s application said:

“The report indicates that the remnants of the Lion Mansion Hotel (LMH) building were in a dangerous condition and liable to collapse, posing a significant risk to safety.

“As such, there was an urgent need to make the site safe.

“The fire had caused extensive damage, with the timber roof structure and internal timber flooring (essential for stability) having completely perished.

“The remaining sections of the LMH building were described as being in a state of unstable equilibrium, with the potential for catastrophic failure.

“The report also highlighted the presence of contaminated infilling material that needed to be removed which could not be done safely with the unstable remains of the LMH building in place.

“The report concluded that it was not possible to safely repair the damaged areas of the LMH building due to the severity of the fire and the loss of key structural elements.

“For the splayed section of the LMH building (to the south of the site), the report stated that it was not possible to see how it could be safely repaired in situ and recommended dismantling it.

“It is explicitly stated that it would not be safe to undertake works to improve the stability of the remaining elements of the LMH building in-situ.”

The council said that, in March, Britannia paid £500,000 towards the costs of making the building safe as talks continued over the seven-figure bill.

To see or comment on the retrospective application for planning permission and listed building consent, go to the council’s website and search for BH2025/01199 and BH2025/01200.