A new £45m leisure complex, to be built in Bournemouth, has been earmarked as better than "any other on the south coast", according to the developer.

Work on the mixed-use development, which is being developed and managed by the Osborne Group, will start in February next year.

The complex, which will create around 300 jobs, will include a nine-screen, 2,000-seat cinema, a linear rooftop garden with terrace, 14 restaurants, a selection of retail outlets and a three-level underground car park.

Osbourne Group chair, Trevor Osborne, said: "The Nautilus will create a leisure hub greater than any other on the south coast.

"The project will be an iconic flagship for the regeneration of Bournemouth as the leading resort on the south coast."

Designed by Piers Gough of CZWG Architects, the leisure facilities aim to complement the restoration of the listed Pavilion Theatre and Ballroom. The designs will use organic elements of green brick, creating a spiralled selection of restaurants and cafes overlooking the ocean over three levels.

Once the scheme is underway, the lease for a restaurant at the top of the 33m (108ft) spiral will be subject of a competition to select a restaurateur.

Competition for a new cinema complex in Bournemouth has been fierce, with the Osbourne Group, Licet Holdings and a private pension fund vying for council approval since 2006.

Odeon has already been confirmed as the anchor tenant for the new cinema and planning consent has already been granted. The plans mean that Odeon would shut down both its cinemas in the town, leaving room for these to be redeveloped at a later date, something already agreed between Odeon and the Osborne Group.

Plans originally called for a casino but the developers pulled the plug in favour of the cinema complex.

Once completed, the new development is expected to attract more than one million people annually.

The development will be considerably taller than the recently demolished Imax cinema, which residents had complained was ugly and blocked their view of the sea.

The site managers have not yet been confirmed.