The Pavilion Tea House in Hove Park is much loved by locals, particularly when the sun is shining, and you can sit outside. However, this pleasant building is no longer large enough to cope with the all-year-round business it now attracts. The kitchen is cramped, there are no toilets or disabled facilities and the inside seating is limited.
So, a plan was put forward to build a modern style extension to the existing Tea House. The Council approved this in April 2016 but the plan hasn't moved forward. Now a new planning application has been made. This involves demolishing the existing building and creating a new, larger one, with what the architects call “a minimalist ‘Japanese’ flavour”.
The previous proposal (left) and the cafe as it is now.
Some people may be sad to see the old Tea House go, though it has not been listed and has no particularly important heritage features. We have compared the appearance of the already approved extension with the proposed new building. We think the latter is preferable from a design point of view.
Too much wood?
Our only concern is that it uses a lot of wood, which often weathers badly, especially when not properly maintained. If you don’t know what we mean, take a walk around the New England Quarter near Brighton Station! So, we are supporting the new application but emphasising the need for careful attention to detail in the design of the woodwork to minimise damage from rainwater and general weathering.