GRAFFITI popular with residents and tourists could be saved for posterity despite new council homes being given the greenlight to be built in front of them.

The large scale street art in Kensington Street, Brighton, featuring figures as diverse as soul legend James Brown and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi have become a tourist attraction in the city.

Councillors at Wednesday’s planning committee agreed to plans to build 12 new council homes in front of the brightly coloured walls.

But recognising their cultural importance to the city, committee members have asked their fellow councillors to support a plan to record the street art and use images of them in a major exhibition in the city.

The 12 new homes will include a pair of one bedroom homes, a two bed home and nine one bedroom flats to be built on the site of terraced houses demolished in the 1980s and will be made available at affordable rents.

Two residents had opposed the plans complaining about a loss of light and privacy.

Labour Councillor Adrian Morris said: “I will be asking the economic development and culture committee whether the museum could do an exhibition of this graffiti and also in the library.

“I think this should go on record because it is quite unique to the area.”

Conservative Councillor Lee Wares said: “This is a good looking scheme in a tight space.

“Unfortunately for the graffiti this is going to be an inevitable consequence moving forward when we are trying to develop more land for affordable homes.”

There was also praise for the design of the houses which were held up as an exemplar for future council housebuilding projects to follow.

Conservative councillor Carole Theobald said: “I think the scheme is really good, it is a great improvement on what is there now.

“It is a very good use of the site.”

Fellow Tory Councillor Joe Miller said the design was an improvement on the previous “municipal building design”.

Planning committee chairwoman Julie Cattell said: “I’m really excited by this solution to a very difficult site and they have done a fantastic job with what are going to be lovely units.

“These will be really nice for people to live in in one of the most vibrant areas of the city.

“They take in the consideration of the historical aspects of the North Laine with the grain of the buildings and the quirkiness that brings people to the North Laine.”