THE MULTI-million project to demolish the historic Astoria cinema and build 70 flats in its place could be put back on course next week.

Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee members have been requested to drop their reasons for refusal when they voted nine to two against the plan at a meeting back in January.

The move could spare taxpayers a large legal bill running potentially into hundreds of thousands of pounds - which the council would incur should developers win an appeal at a planning inquiry scheduled for December.

If granted, the plans could signal the end of a 20-year search for a new use for the site of the grade II listed property in Gloucester Place which entertained movie lovers for 44 years and was last used a bingo hall in 1996.

In January, councillors were highly critical of the standard of 70 flats proposed by ThreeSixty Developments.

In refusing planning permission, committee members said a “significant number of single aspect dwellings” would be “substandard” because of a lack of natural light, potential for noise disturbance and a lack of privacy.

Immediately after the decision, the applicants indicated they would look to model the flats for students instead which requires lower living standard requirements.

But they have since had a change of heart and appealed the decision in July with a public inquiry pencilled in for December.

However in a bid to avoid that process and speed up any decision, the applicants have submitted amended plans to reduce the depth of rooms on the lower ground floor and increase the size of windows.

Developers claim that new daylight assessments show that 194 of 208 flats would meet or exceed recommended minimum guidelines leaving just eight south facing rooms left in the shadow of Blenheim Place offices and six kitchens.

Changes to how the inner courtyard will be used have also been made to counter criticism of noise and privacy issues and the company is also attempting to re-negotiate an agreement to pay £2.4 million towards affordable housing in the city “in light of market changes”.

Planning officers are recommending committee members to withdraw the reason for approval as long as the Planning Inspectorate accept the amended plans.

Former planning committee chairman Bill Randall said: “It’s good practice for council officers and developers to get together and work it through like this and spare the public purse of the expense of an inquiry.

“I suspect someone has looked at it and said 'do we want to go through all that expense for the Planning Inspector to overturn the decision?'

“Given the problem with our housing shortage in the city, I thought at the time that the planning committee rather ignored the need in the city in making their decision.”