Eyesore sells for £10.5 million

5:53pm Thursday 31st May 2007

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A 1960s tower block which has lain empty for two decades could finally be redeveloped after the site was sold for £10.5 million.

Anston House, which has been dubbed the ugliest in Sussex, is next to the A23 at the gateway to Brighton - a strategically important area for the city's economy.

The multimillion pound price tag is believed to be a record for the city - it works out to be worth £17.5 million a hectare - and the land has been bought by Haselmere-based Bridgetown Properties.

Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership has met the new owner, Hove-based Timothy Harding, to discuss plans for the site.

Tony Mernagh, chief executive of the partnership, said a meeting had been organised with city planners and that the new owners were willing to consider office, residential or mixed use for the site.

He said: "It became obvious that the previous owners were not going to redevelop the site and the new owners are very serious, which is a huge step forward.

"It is fair to say that they are very keen to do the redevelopment.

"We do really need some office space in that area and this is a key site.

"I can only hope that the new owners move it on quickly as it is gateway site."

More than 60 planning applications had been lodged by previous owners Anston Properties.

Planning permission had been given for at least ten developments, most recently in 2003, but none of the projects had been acted upon.

The company director, based in Monaco, said time was lost trying to find firms to use the offices for years and delays caused by concerns that councillors would not approve plans for the site.

A proposal in March for two eight-storey blocks to replace the building in Preston Road, Brighton, was rejected by planners.

Documents obtained from the Land Registry reveal that not long before the decision was taken the property was signed over to the new owners for £10.5 million.

The deal was backed by international banking group Investec Bank and Cheval Property Finance.

Anston House has the potential to offer up to 40,000sqm of new office space but is covered in graffiti and has several smashed windows.

Three years ago, art students from Brighton College attempted to brighten it up by covering the broken windows with self-portraits.

But this didn't stop it being voted the ugliest building in Sussex later the same year in a poll in The Argus.

Mr Mernagh believes that a mixed use development could help provide some of the 60,000sqm of office space that the city needs over the next 20 years and a proportion of the 2,500 affordable homes that need to be built every year.

Mr Harding was unavailable for comment yesterday.

What do you think should be done with the site? Leave your comments below.