Long-running Brighton Le Sands venue caught in council dispute
Bayside Council says it’s facing a major repair bill after ending its long-term relationship with the Antonopoulos family, operators of the landmark Le Sands restaurant at Brighton Le Sands for 45 years.
The council pulled the pin on the lease at Brighton Pavilion, claiming there had been repeated breaches of the lease terms and a failure to properly look after the building.
“Council had worked with the Antonopoulos family over many years to resolve recurrent breaches of the Lease agreement Council had with them. This resulted in the successful negotiation of a Settlement Deed earlier this year, but this was breached by the Antonopoulos family shortly after being signed,” Council said in a statement.
Council also says it is still out of pocket. It claims more than $100,000 remains unpaid.
“Council has an obligation to be a responsible custodian of Brighton Pavilion, which is a significant community asset,” it stated.
Since the venue was handed back, Bayside Council says it has been left to deal with serious maintenance issues.
“Council is aware of a number of statements by the former tenants attributing blame for the condition of the building to Council, which necessitates this statement being issued.”
“The source of many of the defects is the lack of ongoing maintenance, which was the responsibility of the former tenant. The fat and water leak in the Le Sands kitchen referred to in recent media reports resulted from non-compliant plumbing work overseen by the Antonopoulos family as former head tenant.”
A full assessment of the site has been completed, with council now working through a long and expensive repairs list.
Council says it has already completed or started works totalling $1.5 million, including:
- Roof repairs and identification of redundant equipment and materials
- Removal of more than 500kg of bird/animal waste removal from gutters
- North and south viewing terrace upgrades
- Emergency internal plumbing repairs
- Internal deep cleaning, de-fitting and make good repairs in preparation for new tenants
More planning is underway on how to “refresh and reactivate” the Pavilion so it can continue operating as a community-facing venue.
“The state of the building when it was returned to Council means that this will be a multi-million dollar project. Council looks forward to sharing more details with Bayside’s residents as this work progresses,” it stated.
Le Sands closed its doors in March, with the Antonopoulos family leaving a pointed note on the front door for loyal diners.
“Our family has invested a minimum of $8 million in this building and created a landmark asset that basically belongs to Bayside Council/NSW Government, and we pay rent close to $800,000 per year for this building.”
“Council does not make any contribution to any outgoings or maintenance of this building. We look forward to seeing you in the very near future, and hopefully, we will be able to give everyone an explanation of what has happened.”
The family has continued to argue that long-running structural and operational problems — which they say Bayside Council failed to fix — were behind the closure.
Despite the messy ending, council has acknowledged the family’s legacy at the waterfront spot.
“Council acknowledges the dedication of Peter and Elizabeth Antonopoulos in running Le Sands restaurant, which was part of the fabric of Brighton Le Sands for over 40 years,” the Council said.
Jonathan Jackson, 8th December 2025
