Brighton pub owner who destroyed historic tiles given year to replace them

Charlie Southall was accused of “utter vandalism” last month after hiring builders to hack the vintage tiles from the locally listed Montreal Arms in Albion Hill.

Mr Southall was seen handing out leaflets claiming the tiles were beyond repair as a team of workers destroyed them with drills.

After issuing a temporary stop notice following complaints, Brighton and Hove City Council has issued a new stop notice and an enforcement notice requiring the tiles to be reinstated within one year.

A council spokesman said that council officers had to consider whether further longer-term action should be taken, as a temporary stop notice can only last for 28 days and current legislation prevents the council from issuing another.

The new owner of the pub previously said he planned to house Ukrainian refugees

He said: “Officers have liaised with colleagues in our legal department and considered information provided by the owner. This included concerns regarding the building’s lintels.

“In the light of this, we served an enforcement notice together with the stop notice on the removal of the tiles. This includes an exception of permitting tiles to be removed to allow for repairs to the lintels.

“It has been made clear in the notices that this exception is for the minimum number of tiles that can be removed for the purposes of repair to the lintels. The enforcement notice requires these tiles to be reinstated.

“The enforcement notice also requires the reinstatement of glazed ceramic tiles to all elevations where they have been removed or damaged as a consequence of the unauthorised works. The timescale for compliance is one year after the notice takes effect.”

The destruction of the tiles caused outrage among residents in Hanover and from Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas, who described the damage as “utter vandalism” that “cannot go unchallenged”.

Mr Southall had started a crowdfunder to renovate the Montreal Arms to allow refugees to be housed there, but abandoned the effort after neighbours questioned his motives and pointed out the large profit he stood to make.

Hanover resident Ruth Boyd said if the aim was to convert the pub into housing for refugees, there was no need to remove the historic tiles.

She said: “The fact that he’s chosen to attack the antique tiles, the most visible part of the building, feels like a petty and bitter attack on the community.

“He doesn’t have planning permission or apparently the funds to do the necessary work for his ‘philanthropic project’ inside the building.

“Instead, he wastes time and money hacking away at the perfectly serviceable exterior of the property, knowing it would upset and offend those of us who want the Montreal to be able to continue as a public house.”

The stop notice takes effect from April 27, with the enforcement notice taking effect from May 24.