ITV drama Grace to film at old Lidl in Burgess Hill

Starring John Simm as DS Roy Grace, the drama has been given permission to film in the Heights building and Lidl – which was used as a morgue during the last series.

Permission to use the sites in The Martlets was given during a meeting of Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on Thursday.

Liberal Democrat councillor Robert Eggleston said: “It’s a weird way of using these buildings but I think a little bit of glamour in The Martlets shopping centre is not to be ignored.”

• READ MORE: Hit ITV show Grace returns as season three filming set for this summer

Grace has been filmed at many landmarks across Brighton and Hove, with some scenes also taking place at locations in other parts of Sussex.

The third series of ITV’s Grace has begun filming in August in Rottingdean, with scenes being shot at St Margaret’s Church, Nevill Road and on Beacon Hill.

Filming was later spotted taking place at the train station and in Hove.

Stars of the show were spotted shooting for the third season around Hove Lagoon on August 31.

DJ Fatboy Slim, who lives nearby, even stopped by for a chat with the team on the set.

Lidl in Burgess Hill was previously turned into a supermarket

Earlier this year, guests arriving at The Grand hotel got an unexpected surprise when Peter James worked as a concierge as part of research for a character.

The third series of Grace, starring Life on Mars actor John Simm in the titular role as DSI Roy Grace, is expected to hit screens sometime next year.

The new season is based on three books by Brighton author Peter: Dead Like You, Dead Man’s Grip and Not Yet Dead.

Dead Man’s Grip explores how fictional journalist Kevin Spinella obtains information from Roy Grace's calls and messages via hacking.

In another episode, Roy will wonder how Spinella is getting such accurate information and will confront him, but Spinella attributes this purely to his sound journalistic instincts.

The Argus appearing in ITV's Grace. Credit: ITV/Grace

The show is shot across many famous landmarks in Brighton and Hove, including Devil’s Dyke, which was renamed Hob’s Dyke for the series for legal reasons.

However, Peter said he was “determined” to have a real-life paper featured in the series and insisted The Argus kept its name.

“I was determined that we would not have a fictitious paper and I know that everyone at The Argus would be much happier if we had its actual name,” said Peter.

“I’m determined to make The Argus the most famous newspaper in the world.”