St Leonards venue's future to be decided 'at a later date' at London's High Court

The future of Azur, which incorporates Teddy’s Cocktail Bar and Grill, was due to be discussed on Wednesday (March 1) in the High Court in London after a winding-up order was brought by the freehold owner Sea Change Sussex.

But both sides said that the hearing was adjourned to a later date, yet to be decided.

The venue is used a lot for wedding celebrations, birthdays and anniversaries.

According to Sea Change, Azur has failed to keep up with rent payments under the lease.

A statement from Azur said: “Azur Events Ltd would like to thank its customers for their continued support and to apologise for the emotional disruption that they have encountered as a result of a long-standing dispute between Sea Change Sussex and Azur Events Ltd.

"Azur’s landlord, Sea Change Sussex, were unsuccessful with their petition to wind up Azur Events Ltd on March 1 at the High Court, resulting in Azur Events Ltd being given extra time to submit evidence to substantiate their counter claim against Sea Change Sussex.

"A full hearing date will then be set for hopefully later this year. We will be contacting all our customers shortly to discuss future operations.”

Last week David Thorpe-Tracey, director of Azur, said: "For the past 15 years, Azur has been a hub for the community, supporting local businesses, community groups and charities, providing award-winning customer service to thousands of local residents and visitors from outside the area who have chosen to hold some of the most important days of their lives at Azur such as weddings, anniversary celebrations and birthdays.”

Sea Change said its winding-up petition was a ‘last resort action’ and ‘not a decision it had taken lightly’.

A spokesperson for Sea Change said: “Sea Change Sussex is taking steps to recover outstanding rent arrears from its tenant, Azur Events Ltd.

"Although the insolvency proceedings against Azur were adjourned at a court hearing on March 1 to a future date yet to be set by the court, the proceedings are still continuing. In the meantime, Azur Events Ltd is not permitted to make any dispositions unless validated by the court.”