Overview
- Operators installed a roughly 9.5-metre fibreglass shark at the Jungle Rumble adventure golf site on Madeira Drive last August, suspended from a timber gallows-style frame and visible from the beach and Madeira Terrace.
- The owners submitted a retrospective planning application (reference BH2026/01837) that also seeks permission for a café pergola, an external fire escape and a timber-clad toilet block, all added without prior consent.
- Planning documents and the developers’ statement frame the shark as an intentionally theatrical, themed leisure feature and argue the additions sit within the site’s recreational use.
- A heritage assessment and biodiversity checks cited in the application found no significant harm to the East Cliff Conservation Area or local wildlife, while at least one formal objection describes the hanging-shark motif as offensive and unsuitable for a children’s attraction.
- Brighton & Hove City Council’s pending decision will determine whether the works are regularised or must be changed or removed, and the outcome could influence how conspicuous themed installations are treated in sensitive seafront conservation settings.