Millionaire property developer appears in court accused of vandalising Victorian pub after his gang of workers smashed up historic tiles
A millionaire property developer accused of vandalizing a Victorian pub appeared in court.
Charlie Southall, 46, hired a gang of builders to rip up the historic tiles of the Montreal Arms in Brighton in April 2022.
The council issued an enforcement notice ordering the 160-year-old pub to restore its locally listed green glazed tiles.
Southall appealed against the rejected decision and was given a deadline of 17 July 2024 to restore the tiles, but no work was carried out.
The developer appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Friday accused of breaching the council’s enforcement notice.
The court stated that the bar was ‘valued by the community’ and that the damage caused to it caused serious ‘concern’ at the local level.
The pub was built during the boom period of Victorian building in Brighton in the 1860s and was the center of a vibrant community.
Rich property developer Charlie Southall, pictured, appeared in court accused of ‘damaging’ a Victorian pub
He employed a gang of builders to rip up the historic tiles of the Montreal Arms in Brighton, pictured in April 2022.
The council issued an enforcement notice ordering the 160-year-old bar to restore its locally listed green glazed tiles.
The tiles date from around 1927, when work was carried out following the merger of Portsmouth United brewery and Brighton’s Rock brewery.
The case was the subject of legal dispute between the court, Brighton & Hove Council and Southall and cannot be reported at this stage.
It has been postponed to next month.
