Filming locations and permits in Brighton

For streets, parks, the seafront and the beach, yes. Brighton and Hove City Council has the Sussex Film Office handle filming applications on its land. Private places, such as Brighton Palace Pier, the Royal Pavilion, Brighton Marina, Brighton station and Churchill Square, need their owner’s permission instead. On a crew hire, the permission is yours. On a full production, we apply in our name. Check with the Sussex Film Office for the latest.

The Sussex Film Office doesn’t publish its fees, so we ask it for a price and add the permit to the quote. Each permit fee includes up to 2 hours of film officer time. A parking suspension has a £38 admin fee, or £19 for Brighton and Hove residents and businesses. The council charges £51 a bay a day for removals, building work and events. Its page doesn’t mention filming, so we confirm the charge when we apply. Check with the Sussex Film Office and Brighton and Hove City Council for the latest.

A suspended parking bay needs 7 full working days, or 10 weeks for 30 bays or more in one place. Anyone going into the sea needs at least 10 working days, and a road closure can take up to 12 weeks. A drone in Brighton City Airport’s zone needs at least 7 days. The Sussex Film Office doesn’t publish a notice period, so we apply as early as the shoot allows. Check with Brighton and Hove City Council and Brighton City Airport for the latest.

Yes, with permission. The beach is council land, so the application goes through the Sussex Film Office. Anyone swimming or going into the sea needs at least 10 working days’ notice, a risk assessment and any extra safety cover the shoot needs, such as a lifeboat. Talk to the council’s Seafronts Team first. Check with Brighton and Hove City Council for the latest.

Yes, if the pier agrees. It’s private, so the request goes to the pier. Its filming page asks for the date and time, the hours, the crew size, a lead name and a summary of the shoot. The pier has appeared in Stormzy’s film Big Man, ITV’s Grace and adverts for Freemans and Skipton Building Society. Check with Brighton Palace Pier for the latest.

Yes, through the marketing office at Brighton and Hove Museums, which gives facility fees on request. Its conditions ask for at least £10m public liability and electrics PAT tested in the past year. LED lights are preferred, UV lights and drones aren’t allowed, and any dolly runs on tracking with rubber wheels. The Royal Pavilion Garden goes through the Sussex Film Office. Check with Brighton and Hove Museums for the latest.

Yes, with the right permissions. On council land, the council’s outdoor events team wants the operator’s CAA licence, drone insurance, a risk assessment and a flight map. Inside Brighton City Airport’s zone near Shoreham, apply to the airport at least 7 days ahead, for £20 + VAT. The airport doesn’t say whether the zone reaches central Brighton, so check its map for your take-off point. Seven Sisters Country Park needs its express permission, and the Royal Pavilion doesn’t allow drones. Check with Brighton City Airport and Brighton and Hove City Council for the latest.

Only with permission from GTR. Southern, part of GTR, manages the station. GTR asks for permission in advance to film at its stations or on its trains, and commercial requests go to businessdevelopment@gtrailway.com. Check with GTR for the latest.

It depends on the location. The Royal Pavilion asks for at least £10m. The Sussex Film Office doesn’t publish a figure, so we ask when we apply. On a crew hire, the certificate is yours, for the company named on the application. On a full production, we’re the producer of record, and our policy covers the shoot with £10m public liability. Check with Brighton and Hove Museums for the latest.