FIRST Base has signed up to the city’s Living Wage campaign.

The developer wants to create co-working spaces for start-ups on the site where Anston House – dubbed Brighton’s ugliest building – currently stands in Preston Road.

The ground-floor workspace would be below 229 homes also proposed for the site in a series of towers around 12 storeys high.

It is estimated the regeneration of the site will bring an additional £6 million to the city in local spend from new residents and businesses.

First Base hopes to employ around 350 construction workers on the redevelopment of the office building. It is expected 283 people will work in the building once it is completed.

The jobs will be targeted at the digital and creative community.

The development will take approximately two years to build, assuming planning permission is granted.

Launched in 2012, the Living Wage campaign – run by the Chamber of Commerce – aims to support and encourage local businesses to commit to paying their employees the Living Wage.

Set independently and updated annually, the Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living in the UK and is the amount that allows a person to live a decent life, rather than just survive.

Eeva Paasiaro, development manager at First Base, said: “We jumped at the opportunity to be part of the Living Wage campaign to ensure fair pay for everyone working in Brighton and Hove.

“We look forward to putting this into practise at Anston House where we will provide much needed homes and workspace.”

First Base was founded in London in 2002 and two years ago the company embarked on its first development in Brighton – Anston House.

The nine-storey eyesore in Preston Road has been derelict since 1988 and was overwhelmingly voted the county’s worst building in a poll of Argus readers in 2004.

First Base is the latest firm to try to breathe new life into the site which has been subject to 60 planning applications in recent years.

The group said it has carried out a huge amount of public consultation during the development of the plans, which included a resounding public poll in favour of demolishing the existing 1960s high-rise.

It is also hoped that a café based in the workspace will help to increase footfall around the new development.

First Base said it has aimed to create a visually beautiful building that matches the location close to Preston Park on one of the busiest routes into the city.

Ms Paasiaro said: “The redevelopment of Anston House provides an opportunity to address the demand for homes and modern workspace in Brighton.

“Our proposals will deliver 229 new homes and workspace for more than 280 local, maturing start-ups and provide a real boost to the Brighton economy.”