A 15-STOREY tower could become a seafront town’s tallest building despite strong public opposition after a crunch meeting held tonight.

Councillors are advised to give the green light to the £35 million redevelopment of The Aquarena site in Worthing at a specially arranged planning committee meeting.

Council officers said the estimated £15 million economic benefits to the town outweighed any harm to nearby historical sites.

More than 2,300 residents oppose the revamped scheme claiming that its tower is still too high and harm to nearby grade II* listed Beach House.

The latest plans by Roffey Homes for the 49-year-old former swimming pool and public car park in Brighton Road proposes 141 apartments, a commercial unit and café on the 0.7 hectare site.

A previous application for 147 flats including a 21-storey tower was rejected in September 2015 although an appeal against that decision is still to be decided.

As well as reducing the tallest tower by six storeys, the new plans also do away with a nine storey building in Brighton Road, increases residents parking from 150 spaces to 172, an increase in cycle parking but a drop in public car parking spaces from 69 spaces to 51 and affordable homes from 39 to 33.

The Worthing Society, the conservation area advisory committee and the design and conservation architect have all objected to the “uncomfortably dominant” tower.

Roffey Homes said 44 jobs would be based at the commercial unit, two jobs in managing residents’ communal areas and up to 100 jobs created during its construction.

The developers say they will spend more than £2.6 million on public improvements as part of the project with a new public car park to help meet the growing demand for Aquarena’s successful replacement Splashpoint, an “iconic” seafront café and improved public squares and paths.

Roffey Homes managing director Ben Cheal said: “We’re pleased that, based on their consideration of all the technical plans and other studies, council planning officers have recommended our proposals to regenerate the derelict Aquarena site should be approved.

“The design is the result of much hard work with respected architects to produce a sustainable development that is a confident statement about Worthing’s future, and something everyone in the town can be proud of.

“This is a high-profile brownfield site that has been in need of regeneration for far too long and offers a unique opportunity for Worthing to create the new homes and facilities it badly needs.”