By Isobel Williams
A psychic and tarot card reader being kicked out of his shop after more than 40 years says he didn’t see it coming.
Paul Hughes-Barlow, 66, has been running a tarot and palm reading business underneath the pier on Brighton seafront for over four decades.
However, the local council has said it will not be renewing his lease as of March 31 – forcing him to find somewhere else to work.
Paul says that despite his ability to see the future, he hadn’t expected the news, never even considering the chance that he might be kicked out of the property.
His lease was renewed every three years until this point without fail, and he says that he only ever saw mild rent increases.
Paul said: “I was shocked. It was completely out of nowhere.
“I know people always make the old joke ‘you are supposed to see things coming’ but as far as I was concerned things were ok.
“I don’t go for readings myself very much, I just live my life. I wouldn’t be going to someone and asking them, ‘is my lease going to be renewed?’
“People come when their life is changing, not when you are just expecting to carry on and there is nothing to say.
“I don’t know what is happening or where I am going. I know it is my job to help other people with the future, but when it comes to yourself it is a different story isn’t it?”
Paul says that the area had faced issues with anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the past, due to the decision to unlock the gates and allow public access to the underpass in 2023.
However, this decision was later scrapped, and the gates are now only unlocked when Paul is at his shop, which he says has completely stopped the nuisance.
In spite of this, when Brighton and Hove City Council informed him of the lease end, they credited ASB for the decision, which Paul says he blames him for something out of his control.
He said: “For some reason the council took away the locks on the gates, and what happened next was pretty predictable.
“We got some rough sleepers, drug dealers, and junkies.
“They say the reason they stopped the lease was because of ASB, but it is not my ASB, it is because the council took away the locks.
“I am being victimised for something that was out of my control. As soon as the locks went back on the ASB stopped.
“The statement they gave me could apply to any business anywhere in the country.”
Paul’s shop offers tarot card readings, palm readings, and clairvoyance, which he says people travel from around the world to see.
He argues that his business actually helps to improve the safety of the area, as he locks the gate every night, keeping the area secure.
The trader, who is originally from London, says he loves his business and has no intention of backing down.
He said: “It has been fantastic. Every day is different, I never know who is going to walk in the door or what it is going to be about. People come from around the world to see me.
“The council said the matter was closed, they didn’t even consult me so that I could represent myself or give my side of the story. They just left me hanging out to dry.
“I am a small business and people know me. I have been a part of the seafront for 40 years. It is going to be a total upheaval. It is devastating.
“There is still time for the council to show a bit of sense and be reasonable. I am not retiring, I am keeping going.”
Councillor Birgit Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage and Tourism at Brighton & Hove City Council, said: “While we, of course, appreciate the impact this decision will potentially have on this business, it is important to note this is the only business still operating in the units underneath the pier and that the council has provided the leaseholder with a full notice period as required.
“We were previously asked by traders nearby to gate this area to reduce anti-social behaviour, including drug dealing. Doing so has led to improvements in this area which have been welcomed by local traders.
“This arrangement, however, required this single trader to open and close gates whenever customers needed access.
“All the other units here are used as storage and by not renewing the lease of the remaining business, it will allow us to ensure the entire area is secured at all times, something we know other traders support.
“We are more than happy to discuss alternative units which are available with the leaseholder, but we are confident this decision is in the best interests of this area of the seafront.”
