Job boost at factory site

As many as 284 jobs could be created in Portslade with a development that includes a mixture of offices, workshops and a health club.

Outline planning permission has been given for the scheme which has been described as a flagship development on the South Portslade industrial estate in Sussex.

The new buildings will replace the former Flexersacks factory, which currently occupies the site.

The developer wants to use the upper floors of the three storey building for offices with a health club underneath which will include a crèche and restaurant.

Long term prospects

On the ground floor it is proposed that workshops and showroom space will be built.

Councillor Bob Carden, chair of Brighton and Hove planning committee, said: "The Flexersacks factory has been empty for some time and a development here will be of great benefit to the local community."

The council's economic development officer said the mixed use development of the site would give it good prospects in the long term.

It would be a flagship development at the western entrance to the city.