UPDATE: Royal Albion Hotel - Access Restored To Brighton YHA And Flats

Brighton & Hove City Council has confirmed that the cordon around the decimated Royal Albion Hotel, ravaged by fire on July 15, has moved to allow access to surrounding buildings.

With the situation constantly changing due to clean-up work being hampered by weather conditions and the stability of the structure, the council has pledged to keep local residents informed of progress and offered advice and helplines for people living in the area (see below).

"Our priority continues to be safety," they say.

As of 12.30pm on 16 August, access has been restored to the Youth Hostel Association building and the Royal York Building flats.

Demolition work has been continuing and the north west corner of the hotel building is now dismantled.

The next stage will be to stabilise the northern elevation, which needs to be complete to re-open safe access to the Lace House. 

The council says protecting the northern elevation is a complex operation and it’s unlikely the building will be safe to access until mid-September.

Access to Lace House is currently prohibited, using emergency powers under the section 78 of the Building Act 1984. This is to protect members of the public from any possible collapses during the demolition work.

They've also restricted access to two nearby commercial buildings, but there are now no other buildings where access is prohibited.

The council says it has investigated the possibility of allowing temporary access for residents to retrieve possessions from Lace House. However, the surveyor has advised against it, saying it isn’t currently safe.

Due to the further collapses, the structure has become more unstable and unpredictable, which has increased safety risks.

Demolition of the damaged side of the building still needs to take place, work which the council has said will be noisy but necessary and will be carried out as quickly as possible.

Barriers have been placed around the hotel to ensure a safe perimeter. The on-site contractor will use a water suppression system during the works to minimise any dust that may be present and will continually assess the risk.

If residents or businesses in the area notice any dust or smoke in the air, they should keep windows and doors closed.

East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service will continue to make regular visits to check on the structure and security will remain on site throughout.

If anyone sees excessive smoke or flames coming from the building, they should contact the fire service on 999.

Businesses outside of the exclusion zone have been advised that they can reopen but to carry out their own risk assessments to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. 

East Sussex Fire & Rescue has served a prohibition notice on the hotel as there is no electricity in the building and the smoke alarms and emergency lighting are not functioning.

Council Leader, Councillor Bella Sankey, said:

"My heartfelt thanks continues to go to everyone working hard to respond to the aftermath of this terrible fire. 

"I'm sorry that the demolition and road closures will cause noise and travel disruption. This essential work needs to take place to ensure public safety. 

"I want to thank residents, visitors and businesses for their patience while we work to demolish the building. The teams involved are working hard to complete this work as quickly as possible and minimise disruption.

"If nearby residents displaced by the fire need advice on accommodation, please get in touch with our housing team by emailing housing.advice@brighton-hove.gov.uk or calling 01273 294 400 (option 1)."

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HELP AND ADVICE

Diversions 

The council is asking people to continue to avoid the area and road diversions remain in place.

Part of Kings Road (A259) between the Aquarium roundabout and East Street, as well as most of Pool Valley, has been fenced off due to the risk of falling debris during the demolition process. 

Madeira Drive and the Aquarium roundabout remain open.

Pool Valley and A259 eastbound is expected to remain closed for several more weeks. The A259 westbound is open.

Diversions will be in place and traffic should use alternative routes such as the A270 to avoid the area as much as possible. 

The National Express bus service can be accessed from the nearby stop at the Old Steine (stop Z).

Residents displaced by the fire and who need advice on emergency accommodation

Please get in touch with our housing team. Send an email to housing.advice@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone 01273 294 400 (option 1).

If you have been displaced from your home or have specific queries, please contact the council’s switchboard on 01273 290 000. They will take your details and refer your queries to a central team. You will then be contacted by that central team who will try and help as best as possible, find answers, signpost you to other relevant support and be a point of contact going forward.

Thank you to our residents, visitors and businesses for their patience and understanding while this important work takes place.

Hotel guests

Royal Albion Hotel guests who need to collect their belongings or have any other queries related to the hotel should send an email to royalalbionproperty@britanniahotels.com or phone the hotel to confirm their details and arrange a pick-up time.

Legal Guidance

If you need legal guidance about any problems you have experienced, you should seek independent legal advice, which may be available through your home insurance or independent advice agencies. Unfortunately, as a council we cannot advise you individually.  

For any insurance related queries, please contact your own insurer. If you don’t have any, it may be that your landlord or free holder have insurance which covers you. You should contact them directly.