THE businessman behind the controversial King Alfred plans has said he rejected a “Gehry-esque” design in favour of something “more Brighton”.

Rob Starr told The Argus he and his team had binned a more out-of-the-ordinary initial design in favour of something that better represented the city’s own architecture and the site’s surrounding buildings.

The Hove businessman, whose charity The Starr Trust and housebuilders Crest Nicholson have been awarded the contract to redevelop the King Alfred, was responding to criticism of the designs which were unveiled for the first time this week.

Argus readers have been particularly damning of the design while former Hove MP, Ivor Caplin, has called for more drama in plans.

Mr Starr said he had expected some criticism but claimed it had been more “tempered” than what he anticipated.

He said he and his team had spent years developing the current model and rejected a previous plan for a “Gehry-esque” design for something that was more representative of Brighton.

Canadian architect Frank Gehry’s “wonky towers” were selected for a previous redevelopment bid for the site in 2003 but that project was pulled in 2008.

Mr Starr said the previous design centred around just one central block but was rejected in favour of something with less massing and with greater public space.

He said: “We wanted something that said Brighton, we didn’t want to bring something in that could be from anywhere.

“We looked at the shape of it in context with the buildings behind it and took inspiration from the public squares we have here.

"It took months and months to get there, there have been many, many changes.

"We will deliver a beautiful building that will do so much for the city."

Mr Starr said the backlash to the plans had not surprised him and said he wished he could have shown residents more but was restricted by the council process.

He said the process meant the first limited images of the preferred bidder scheme were only revealed at the end of a ten-day legal standstill period.

He said: “Just a couple of 2D pictures doesn’t tell the whole story, it doesn’t really tell you anything, it definitely does not give you the context behind it.

“It was always going to get a reaction, putting a picture out without any context.

"I would love the opportunity to stand up in a public space with all of our designs and explain how we got here, hopefully I can do that in the very near future."