Council opens up city centre workspace for Brighton's creative businesses
One of the council buildings being offered to Brighton's creative sector, image credit culture in our city
Brighton and Hove's creative, cultural and digital businesses are being handed a rare shot at affordable city centre space, as the council opens up thousands of square feet of vacant workspace in two central buildings and invites the sector to move in.
The offer covers workspace at Phoenix House on West Street and Lyndean House on Queens Road, both within easy walking distance of Brighton Station and the city centre. The council wants to work with established local businesses to transform vacant spaces into vibrant hubs of creativity, breathing new life into underused buildings and letting creatives and entrepreneurs turn empty assets into engines for economic growth and artistic innovation.
Why the council is stepping in
The move comes as creative workspace across the city has been squeezed by rising rents and redevelopment, pressures felt sharply since the closure of New England House, which served the sector for more than a decade. The creative, cultural and digital industries account for around one in five businesses in Brighton and Hove, and the council is framing this as a direct intervention to keep that ecosystem in the city rather than pricing it out.
"Brighton and Hove's creative sector is one of the things that makes our city so special, but we know artists, makers, designers, small manufacturers and growing creative businesses are facing real pressure when it comes to finding suitable workspace. We understand these pressures and that's why we're now directly intervening and making sure this crucial part of Brighton and Hove's identity continues to thrive in our city."
Councillor David McGregor, Cabinet Member for Economy, Culture, Heritage and Tourism
Phoenix House, West Street
Phoenix House sits on West Street in central Brighton at the junction with Regency Road, running south from the Clock Tower and the meeting of Western Road, North Street and Queens Road. It is an attractive period building with office space over four floors, split into a variety of different suites.
Phoenix House at a glance
Amenities air conditioning, carpet tile flooring, raised access flooring, kitchenettes and a lift (present in some suites)
Service charge £8.96 per sq ft, full breakdown on request
EPC rating D
Total available 11,005 sq ft
Phoenix House floor areas
| Basement | Let |
| Ground | Let |
| 1st floor | 3,230 sq ft |
| 2nd floor | 3,090 sq ft |
| 3rd floor | 3,963 sq ft |
| 4th floor | 722 sq ft |
| Total available | 11,005 sq ft |
Lyndean House, Queens Road
Lyndean House occupies a highly visible spot on Queens Road, just south of Brighton Station, with reliable public transport outside the door and the station and North Road car park both within a five-minute walk. It provides four floors of open-plan office space, three of them linked by an internal staircase, with a mix of open-plan areas and meeting rooms.
Lyndean House at a glance
Amenities Cat A space, modern open-plan office, air conditioning, 8 car parking spaces, Class E planning use, short walk from Brighton Station
Service charge £16.25 per sq ft, full breakdown on request
EPC rating C
Total available 11,116 sq ft
Lyndean House floor areas
| Basement | Let |
| Ground | Let |
| 1st floor | 2,850 sq ft, available from end of December 2026 |
| 2nd floor | 2,855 sq ft, available from end of December 2026 |
| 3rd floor | 2,857 sq ft, available from end of December 2026 |
| 4th floor | 2,554 sq ft |
| Total available | 11,116 sq ft |
Inside, the floors are bright, open and ready to be fitted out, blank canvases waiting for the right creative occupiers to bring them back to life.
Inside the vacant space now on offer to creative businesses
How to apply
This first tranche is aimed at established businesses and organisations that can, in turn, open doors for freelancers, individual artists and their wider networks. Interested parties are invited to submit an expression of interest with a bid proposal. Responses must be in PDF format, no longer than five pages excluding appendices, cover each of the scoring criteria, and clearly label any commercially sensitive information.
What City centre creative workspace at Phoenix House and Lyndean House
Who Established creative, cultural and digital businesses and organisations
Deadline 12 noon on Friday 2 October 2026
Submit to Lewis Austin at SHW, laustin@shw.co.uk, 07918 790978
Run by Brighton and Hove City Council
Space will be offered to the highest-scoring proposals, though the council is not bound to offer space to any applicant. Bids are marked against financial and non-financial criteria, weighted as below.
How proposals are scored
| Financial: the most financially beneficial proposal, covering space required, lease terms, rent, repairing obligations, funding and willingness to act as anchor tenant | 50% |
| Q1: growing the organisation and collaborating with the wider creative sector, plus local community and economic benefits | 20% |
| Q2: supporting other local SMEs and creative enterprises | 15% |
| Q3: promoting the physical and mental health of workers and the local community | 7.5% |
| Q4: training and skills pathways, closing any gender pay gap and supporting disabled staff | 7.5% |
| Total | 100% |
Each quality answer is then scored from zero to five, from very poor up to excellent, based on how convincingly it meets the council's priorities.
Apply and read the full opportunity
See the property listing and floor plans