A millionaire property developer accused of the ‘wanton vandalism’ of an historic Victorian pub is being prosecuted by council bosses.
Charlie Southall, 46, bought the 150-year-old Montreal Arms in Brighton ‘on a whim’ after it closed during lockdown.
He then hired a team of workers who took a pneumatic drill to the historic glazed green tiles of the locally listed pub.
Residents were furious and confronted the property developer in the street, demanding he stop vandalising the historic pub.
Police were called and the council issued an emergency stop order to prevent him further damaging the heritage tiles.
Residents branded Mr Southall a ‘vandal’ after the incident in 2022 and Green MP Caroline Lucas called on the council to take action.
Council bosses ordered the developer to replace the green glazed tiles in 2023 and restore the damage to the pub.
But after a series of appeals and planning applications by Mr Southall, no work has been carried out.
A millionaire property developer accused of the ‘wanton vandalism’ of the Montreal Arms in Brighton is being prosecuted by council bosses (Slide for before and after)
Charlie Southall hired a team of workers who took a pneumatic drill to the historic glazed green tiles of the locally listed pub (above)
Mr Southall (above) bought the 150-year-old pub ‘on a whim’ after it closed during lockdown
Now the council has announced it has launched legal proceedings against the developer for failing to restore the pub to its former glory.
Cllr Tim Rowkins of Brighton & Hove City Council said: ‘I can now confirm that the council has filed a summons with the court to prosecute the owner for the failure to comply with the enforcement notice relating to the reinstatement of the tiles.
‘The next step will be for the court to issue the summons and fix a date for the first hearing.’
The pub was built during a boom period of Victoria construction in Brighton in the 1870s and was the centre of a bustling community.
The tiles date from around 1927 when work was carried out following the merger of the Portsmouth United brewery and Brighton’s Rock brewery.
Mr Southall, who also runs Dragonfly Digital Video Services, bought the pub for around £425,000 following its closure during the Covid lockdown.
Nine days after collecting the keys, he decided to offer it for use as a free co-living space for refugee women and children fleeing the war in Ukraine.
But when the property developer asked the local community to crowdfund a £85,000 renovation residents began to question his motives.
Residents branded Mr Southall a ‘vandal’ after the incident in 2022 and Green MP Caroline Lucas (above) called on the council to take action
In a heated exchanged during a public meeting, residents accused him of offering the property as accommodation for refugees in order to push through a change of use with city planners.
Days later Mr Southall and a team of builders arrived outside the pub with a drill and proceeded to remove the glazed tiles from the exterior.
Horrified residents gathered in the street and tried to stop the builders removing any more tiles
In just over six hours, the team drilled off around one third of the listed green tiles before the council ordered issued an emergency stop order.
Resident Harry Magee said: ‘The tiles are called green faize tiles. They reflect different colours from different angles and are made of lead dyes. Each one will be handmade.’
Accusing him of ‘wanton vandalism’, resident James Elliott said: ‘He turned up with some guys armed with an almighty drill and proceeded to ruin a pub that has stood here for 150 years. He’s an absolute disgrace and he’s behaved like a spoilt child.’
In a statement at the time Mr Southall, of Brighton, said: ‘The new property owner has exactly the same permitted development rights as any other property owner in the area, and it is entirely lawful for external features to be altered or removed. This is a privately owned property.’
The pub has now been put up for sale for £425,000 by Mr Southall and the estate agents are holding an open day next week.
Mr Southall bought the pub for £420,000 in 2022 but has recently valued the pub at £150,000 in his own company accounts.
Brighton and Hove City Council say responsibility for restoring the tiles would then fall on the new owner, who would be prosecuted if they failed to carry out the work.
