A make-shift building put up to replace a protected theatre remains unchanged almost 20 years after being installed on Brighton's Palace Pier.
The Dome was built after the remains of the theatre were declared unsafe and removed from the Grade-II listed structure in 1986. Brighton and Hove City Council approved plans for it as a temporary building while bosses at the Noble Organisation, which owns the pier, developed restoration plans for the pier, including the theatre.
But almost two decades on planning officers are still renewing temporary planning permission with no scheme offered up for a return to the original building.
Applications for temporary planning permission for the Dome have been submitted and approved by the city council three times since 1986, each time allowing the building to stay up for between 12 months and five years.
Multi-million restorations plans for the pier were unveiled by the Noble Organisation in the mid-Eighties and a replica of the former theatre was costed at about £2.5 million. But a final scheme has failed to get under way and in 2003 another application was made to renew temporary planning permission for the Dome.
The Noble Organisation was unavailable for comment.
Friday, August 12 2005
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