Marina petition to be handed over

1,000 flats are proposed, partly housed in a 37-storey tower

Campaigners against a £175m development planned for Brighton Marina are preparing to hand over a petition signed by hundreds of objectors.

The proposed 37-storey tower, along with 10 15-storey blocks, will include 1,000 flats, 400 of them "affordable". Bars and restaurants are also planned.

"If this development goes ahead the effect will be overwhelming," said objector Derek Granger.

The petition will be handed over by TV presenter Carol Barnes on Friday.

Double population

Demonstrators will meet Brighton and Hove city planners when they visit the site.

The application, submitted in May by Brunswick Developments, is to be discussed by the planning committee on 11 November.

A campaign against the plans, which will double the marina's population, is being led by Kemp Town Society and Brighton Marina Residents' Association.

They claim the proposal flouts the Brighton Marina Act of 1968, which prevents buildings rising higher than the cliff top.

"It will be a serious betrayal of public trust if this scheme goes ahead in defiance of Parliament," said Mr Granger, chairman of the Kemp Town Society.

Miss Barnes said: "A 40-storey block here is totally inappropriate and against the law."

A city council spokeswoman said Brunswick developed the plans after taking legal advice about the Act from an eminent QC.

"It would not be appropriate for officers to put forward a reason for refusal based on the 1968 Act," she said.