THE future of Brighton's new Concorde music venue is in the balance after its drinks licence was withdrawn weeks before it is due to open.

Owners Christopher Steward and his wife Christina Taylor want to convert the dilapidated shelter hall in Madeira Drive into a top venue for bands.

But their dream was shattered when the couple had their licences revoked by magistrates for altering the interior of the Grade II listed building without prior consent.

Licensing justices said by knocking down a wall and extending the bar area the pair had breached the terms of their licence, even though they had the backing of Brighton and Hove Council.

The couple, of Wolstonbury Road, Hove, who also own The Albert pub in Trafalgar Street, admitted the breach but expected to receive a fine at the most.

Now they face bankruptcy after ploughing £400,000 into the project.

After the hearing Mr Steward, 48, said: "We are absolutely devastated. We are deemed unfit to run a pub or club simply because we knocked a wall down."

Ms Taylor, 37, added: "We were trying to give Brighton back a building that's important to the town and restore it to the point where we have used everything we have as

collateral to raise money.

"If the Concorde doesn't open we will lose our house, our business, our flat, everything."

Now the only hope for the couple is a hearing on December 7 when justices will hear a licence application from two Concorde staff members. Without a licensee, the venue cannot open on December 17 as planned.

Mr Steward took on the project following 13 years in charge of the original Concorde Bar in Madeira Drive, which was knocked down to make way for a new development.

Council officers suggested he take on the lease and open it as Concorde 2.

Marcus Fletcher, prosecuting on behalf of the

Sussex Police licensing unit, said in March magistrates had rejected an application by the couple to extend the licence to other parts of the building.

When the licensing unit visited the premises six months later they discovered a partition wall had been demolished and the bar area extended, creating a drinking area larger than that covered by the licence.

This could only be done with consent from the licensing justices or by order of a body "with lawful authority".

Paul Masters, defending, insisted the couple thought they had this because their contract with the council stipulated they should restore the building to its original state.

Simon Conrad, the

council's seafront estate surveyor, told the court: "By taking out the wall and the suspended ceiling they have restored the building to its original layer and it does them credit."

But magistrates ruled the couple knew they were in breach of the licence.

Mr Steward and Ms Taylor had their licences revoked and were ordered to pay £1,116 in costs.

After the case Ms Taylor said: "We never thought they would take our licence away."

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