ONE of Brighton’s best-known music venues is set for a £50,000 makeover after getting the all-clear on its long-term future.

Concorde 2 managing director Russell Haynes said the seafront venue would undergo a refurbishment after a structural survey brought back good news.

Mr Haynes said it had been a tough year following the closing off of the Madeira Terraces but the venue was still going strong despite the trying circumstances.

And the music venue owner said it was now possible to start looking to the future after a specialist survey released earlier this year revealed that its structure was sound and not at risk from collapse.

The main bar will be stripped out next month and a new lighting system installed as part of the major overhaul of the 600-capacity venue which has been a feature on Brighton’s seafront since the 19th century; first as a tearoom, then biker cafe and amusement arcade until its conversion to gig venue 16 years ago.

The venue will be closed from Wednesday July 13 for a week while the work is carried out.

Mr Haynes said the ongoing issues with the terraces had created new problems for the venue with an increased spend on pest controllers and work to prevent water ingress.

He said: “It has been a difficult year when people were unsure about our future and they saw the big fence go up, it does put people off coming down.

“I’ve had to fight to make sure they keep the lights on down here at night so people feel safe walking back from gigs.

“We’ve had to make sure that we have great artists on to give people a reason to come down here.”

Mr Haynes backed the call of the Victorian Society for another structural study of the terraces in the hope it may reveal the reconstruction costs might be lower than the current £30 million price tag.

The civic group claimed last month that repairs to the Victorian cast-iron structure could be carried out at a fraction of that price.

Mr Haynes said more surveys should be carried out and expressed his disappointment that an offer by leading local structural engineer to inspect the terraces for free was not taken up.

The venue boss said he hoped that a lower-cost plan for the terraces, which could be started sooner, could be found which would secure its future for the next 25 years.