Final plans for £250m revamp of Brighton seafront

The final plans for the controversial £250m Brighton seafront redevelopment, designed by Frank Gehry, have been submitted for planning approval by the group responsible for the scheme, Karis-ING.

The King Alfred development in Hove, east Sussex, will cover more than four acres and has already undergone a substantial redesign following criticism from opponents of the initial site plans – which featured four towers – being over-developed and “looking like Noddyland”.

Gehry, whose past work includes the titanium-clad Bilbao Guggenheim museum in Spain and the Disney concert hall in the US, has reconfigured the initial concept plans, which now include two residential towers with a “crumpled” exterior and a series of lower-height residential blocks.

There will also be shops and cafes around the squares and alleyways on the new site and artwork by sculptor Anthony Gormley, the artist who created The Angel of the North in Gateshead.

Hove’s old swimming pool site will be turned into a £46m sports centre, complete with a multi-coloured dome and facilities including a 25m competition pool plus eight badminton courts.

An economic analysis has shown that the Karis-ING scheme would inject £25m-£35m a year into the local economy.

Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2007 and be completed within five years. Details: www.thekingalfred.org