A DISABILITY campaigner asked planners about enforcing access to buildings six months after complaining about inaccessible premises.

Pippa Hodge, from Brighton Access for Disabled Groups Everywhere (BADGE), wanted to know if Brighton and Hove City Council would use the “full weight of the law” on any business if it failed to comply with planning conditions, “regardless of stature”, within stated time limits.

Ms Hodge’s question was a follow up to one that she asked the council’s planning committee in October about Rockwater in Hove because it had no lift to its new roof terrace.

When the committee granted permission for the new roof terrace last August, it required Rockwater to include a lift on the west side of the building.

In October, Green councillor Leo Littman, who chairs the committee, said that council officials had added a condition requiring that the lift be installed by Saturday 5 February or cease operations.

On Wednesday, Green councillor Sue Shanks said that the council took its public sector equalities duty very seriously and had a legal duty to consider enforcement action.

Cllr Shanks said: “Should the facts confirm a breach has taken place, then various enforcement options will be considered, ranging from no action when it is expedient not to do so, negotiating a solution or the service of an enforcement of breach of condition notice.

“Whatever decision is taken with regard to enforcement action, you can be assured the identity or stature of the person or body against the whom the action is taken is immaterial in coming to a decision as to whether or not such action should be taken.”

Outside the meeting Ms Hodge said that she was concerned that Rockwater was still operating without the lift with just days left until the company was in breach of its conditions.

Rockwater said: “We currently have an application for works submitted to building control, with contractors appointed, and have completed some preliminary work, along with purchasing the lift. This has been communicated to the building control and planning authorities.

“We, like other businesses, went through an extremely precarious period, with questions hanging over whether we would even be allowed to trade at all during December.

“Left with great uncertainty and facing an economic and societal outlook in which a further lockdown at the end of last year and into this was not out of the question, frustratingly our progress was delayed.

“Now that the impacts of the omicron variant are waning, we endeavour to fulfil our commitment to ensure that we have the lift installed as soon as possible.”