Ms Blanch says: "We plan to restore this beautiful building so Brighton could be proud of it".
How can Brighton be proud of something it isn't free to enjoy? She goes on: "Now we have been infected by the Brighton malaise which blights so many plans to drag our city into the 21st Century".
Nonsense - Brighton's live music scene is innovative and exciting and the Hanbury was part of it.
What could be more up-to-date than that? Certainly not a 19th-Century-style members club and cigar bar for the moneyed elite.
What fans had hoped for was a compromise where they could enjoy the unique venue and some great music a few days a week.
I hope someone is in a position to take them up on their offer to sell it back to the community. I would love to buy it but, like most ordinary music fans, am no more in a position to buy the venue than commuters are to buy the train.
-Rick Webber, Brighton
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