Next step ahead for Gehry scheme

The proposed development includes a total of 10 new buildings

Bold plans to transform the seafront at Hove in East Sussex have taken another step forward after councillors said they were "minded to grant" the scheme.

The King Alfred site is set for a new sports centre, housing blocks and public amenities designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry.

The Karis development has been labelled by some as a "monstrosity".

But Brighton and Hove City Council's planning applications sub-committee gave the green light on Friday.

The plans were approved by the chair's casting vote after the committee was initially split six votes to six.

The conditions on planning consent are that Karis agrees to a number of "planning obligations" related to the King Alfred development.

The sunsets we have setting across the sea or the Downs will be completely lost David Jewell, Hove resident

These would include financial contributions to new school infrastructure, the improvement of children's play areas and "the provision of a sustainable transport solution to service the King Alfred".

It is also dependent on the application not being called in for a public inquiry by the government.

The designs include a new sports centre, 751 residential units in two towers, shops, restaurants, cafes, bars, a doctor's surgery and a police office.

But some current residents fear a decline in their quality of life.

David Jewell said: "Facing us [out of the window] would then be a slab block.

"The afternoon light and the sunsets we have setting across the sea or the Downs will be completely lost."

A city council report argued the designs represented "great architectural quality", and that there would be "a major contribution to meeting the acute need for affordable housing".