Brighton and Hove City Council gave the green light to the proposal for the Tower Point office block at 44 North Road.
The plans include an outdoor bar, sauna, and rooftop amenity area.
The applicant, PLATF9RM, occupies space across floors five to eight of the early 1960s office block, and has created flexible workspaces within the building.
PLATF9RM describes its spaces as a “third place” in the city for businesses and creatives to connect and collaborate.
The company also has a site at Hove Town Hall.
The approved plans include a glazed screen, planting, and a storage building.
A single-storey, flat-roofed cabin will be built at the southern end of the terrace to house the sauna, including a reception, changing rooms, and showers.
The roof is surrounded by a 900mm-high parapet wall.
Two full-time jobs are expected to be created by the new facility, with three staff at weekends.
The bar will be open, weather permitting, from midday to 11pm, Monday to Saturday, and until 10.30pm on Sundays.
The sauna will operate from 8am to 8pm, Sunday to Thursday, and until 10pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
The bar and sauna will not be open to the public on a walk-in basis, though pre-booked access will be available for local residents.
External and community groups will be able to hire the terrace when it is not in use by PLATF9RM.
Council planning officers wrote: “The external alterations are minor in nature and would not have a significant impact on the setting of the nearby listed buildings, nor on the character and appearance of the North Laine Conservation Area.
“Given the site surroundings and distances involved, the proposed introduction of amenity area is unlikely to have a significant impact on neighbouring residential properties in terms of noise or activity, or negative impacts on neighbour outlook, light and privacy.”
The council assessed the proposal on the understanding that the bar and sauna are ancillary to the office/shared workspace use.
The scheme attracted five supportive comments, including one from the North Laine Community Association, citing economic benefits, the welcome regeneration of an aging office block, and increased amenity.
Full details of the plans can be viewed on the council’s planning portal using the reference code BH2026/00701.
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