An unsafe sports facility which posed a danger to squatters is being demolished. Plans have been submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council concerning the Hove Fitness and Squash Centre on Orchard Road. Retrospective permission is being sought for the demolition of the sports facility.
The application has been put forward by the site's owner, Entain PLC, an international betting company known for brands like Coral, Ladbrokes, PartyPoker, and Sportingbet. A previous application to demolish the site was submitted in January 2025 but was withdrawn the following month. It seems, however, that the demolition of the old squash facility, which has been declared structurally unsound, had already started when the initial application was made.
According to the latest proposal: "An application to determine if prior approval was required for the demolition of the buildings was submitted on January 9, 2025. "Before this could be determined, the demolition contractor started the internal soft strip of the flooring and formed an opening in the main wall to do so." READ NEXT: Most congested roads in Sussex revealed - and the top five are all in one place The council subsequently advised that a more detailed planning application was required, which the applicant has now submitted.
The applicant has suspended all works on site and is now seeking permission to demolish the buildings via this application. The former sports facility closed its doors in October 2023. The site consists of three in.