A new office complex for more than 600 people could be built on a marina breakwater.

Brunswick Developments has submitted a planning application for a pair of four-storey buildings on the eastern edge of Brighton Marina.

The company is behind the delayed outer harbour scheme, which includes more than 800 new homes.

The new project includes 8,000sqm of office space, nine luxury flats and two ground floor cafés.

It would be built on a platform secured to the sea bed and part of the beach.

There would also be a waterside promenade with seating along the length of the site.

A storage area and shower space for surfers is also proposed.

Andrew Lay, from Brunswick Developments, said the development would provide a more attractive gateway to the eastern edge of the marina.

He said: “There is a shortage of new-build office space in the city so this meets a demand.

“The extra jobs would be very good for the marina.”

If the project receives planning permission it could be built in two years.

Mr Lay said initial discussions with prospective office tenants indicated there was still a market for office space in the city despite the economic downturn.

The move comes after the firm’s £250 million redevelopment of Brighton Marina was put on hold until the housing market improves.

That scheme, which has planning permission, includes 853 flats and almost 2,000sqm of shops and leisure space.

Mr Lay said plans for a hotel on the western breakwater, which brought Brunswick Development into conflict with Explore Living, the other major developer at the marina, had been put on hold.

Explore Living has submitted proposals for 1,294 flats, new shops, an enlarged and modernised Asda superstore and a new transport interchange at the marina.

Buildings will range from one to 28 storeys high in the inner harbour area.

The scheme covers six main sites – the Asda superstore, the petrol station, the estates office, McDonald’s, the eastern end of the multi-storey car park and a site next to the western sea wall.

Brighton Marina quick facts
  • Brighton Marina was built during the 1970s to provide yacht moorings and a working harbour. It was opened by the Queen in 1979.
  • The complex was expanded in the mid 1980s, when new shops and leisure facilities, now known as Marina Village, were built along with new homes.