Battle-lines are being drawn in the fight against plans for a skyscraper and 1,300 new homes at a prime seafront site.

Brighton and Hove City Council has appointed a team of top lawyers to take on Explore Living, the developers behind the huge Brighton Marina redevelopment proposals.

They are believed to be costing more than £100,000 and will be led by Morag Ellis QC, a planning expert described by The Chambers Guide as "nothing short of the best".

The council hopes she and her team can successfully defend its controversial decision last December to refuse planning permission for the scheme.

A Government planning inspector will hold an appeal hearing starting on November 2 to finally rule whether the project should go ahead or not.

Explore Living had wanted to build a 28-storey tower and a string of smaller blocks in the area of the marina currently occupied by Asda, the main car park and McDonald's. It was opposed by residents nearby.

Planning committee members voted against the project despite city planners recommending it should go ahead.

One of Mrs Ellis's first moves has been to prompt the council to re-write its official reasons for rejecting the plans.

Supporters of the scheme have criticised the approach, describing it as an unfair manouevre nine months after the original refusal.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, leader of the opposition Labour group, who argued that the development would bring badly needed regeneration, said: "The council has realised they don't have a strong basis for the appeal. It looks as though they are now trying to move the goalposts."

At the time she warned the decision could cost the council vast sums in legal costs.

The proposed changes to the rejection have been made in a report due to be agreed by the planning committee at Hove Town Hall on Wednesday. (September 2) They have been described as "clarifications and amplifications" which will allow the lawyers to cite more legally-binding planning policies in their defence.

Coun Mitchell described the move was unprecedented. When asked, the council said it could not cite any prior examples of clarification reports.

Key changes have been the scrapping of one of the six reasons for rejection, which said the development would be a flood risk, and tweaking of objections to its design, height and the quality of housing.

Noteably, the council has also removed a clause which said it was refusing the scheme because of the impact it would have on existing residents in the area.

Councillor Amy Kennedy, a member of the planning committee, said: "It's a course of action the local planning authority is taking in order to strengthen our case."

Mrs Ellis has recently represented clients including Tesco and house builders Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon and Barratt Homes.

She will be joined on the council's appeal team by architect Adam Roake, landscape architect David Allen and heritage expert Dr Nicholas Doggett.

Explore Living confirmed it too had briefed a team of top lawyers to contest the appeal.

Project director Jim Dennis said it was not common practice for the reasons for rejection to be amended.

He said: "All we would say is we are heading towards an inquiry in November. It would be inappropriate for us to comment ahead of the public inquiry."

Mr Dennis said the inquiry would also decide what costs would be awarded.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: “It is entirely appropriate for the Local Planning Authority to seek to clarify and amplify its position in relation to this appeal. The Planning Inspectorate, which is handling this appeal on behalf of the Secretary of State, expects that the parties will clarify their position prior to entering into the Public Inquiry to ensure that it runs efficiently and remains focussed on the core issues.”