The tallest building in Sussex could be built on Hove seafront if designs unveiled today to redevelop the King Alfred site get the go ahead.

Three consortia bidding to transform the rundown site into a leisure and housing complex revealed their visions to civic leaders today.

One of the designs would see four futuristic towers beamed into Brighton and Hove, the highest of which, at 38 storeys, would easily be the tallest building in the county.

It would be just 12 floors short of 1 Canada Square, at Canary Wharf in London's Docklands - the highest building in Britain.

The towers would be spectacular landmarks if the design by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry is chosen for the future of the ageing King Alfred leisure centre site in Hove.

Mr Gehry has been commissioned by Karis Developments/ING, one of three consortiums bidding for the chance to redevelop the plot off Kingsway.

The Canadian-born award-winner is so keen on making them a reality he has come to the city this week to explain the scheme.

Other top architects have proposed towers ranging from 11 to 19 storeys for the same site.

They have responded to a brief by Brighton and Hove City Council, which wants a modern sports centre costing between £25 million and £30 million, funded by 400 flats.

Under council policy, 40 per cent of the homes would be aimed at key workers or people from the housing waiting list.

The architects are vying to build on the site where the sports centre was built before the Second World War.

The three consortiums are:

Barratt Southern Counties and the Brunswick Development Group, which has hired Wilkinson Eyre Architects, who won the RIBA Stirling Prize in 2001 and 2002. The second time was for the "winking eye" footbridge linking Newcastle and Gateshead.

They propose a "folded ribbon" scheme with four blocks running north to south, three of between eight and 11 storeys. They contain 400 flats, with commercial space.

The fourth has a five-floor leisure centre projecting above the promenade towards the sea. A major piazza on the south side includes commercial outlets.

Countryside Properties has a design team led by the Richard Rogers Partnership, responsible for the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Lloyd's of London building and the Millennium Dome. Lord Rogers chaired the Urban Task Force and is adviser to London mayor, Ken Livingstone.

It wants five blocks which step up in height from Kingsway south to the promenade.

They are planned to be above a plinth containing the sports centre over the western part, with a public piazza to the east.

There will be 487 flats with commercial facilities in blocks rising to between nine and 19 storeys.

The Karis/ING consortium includes Mr Gehry, who built Bilbao's Guggenheim Museum, and Piers Gough who is also putting forward radical proposals for Brighton Marina. Also included is artist Antony Gormley, who made the Angel of the North sculpture near Gateshead.

The four extraordinary towers rise above a podium containing the sports centre and commercial and public space.

Two towers on the north side are 17 and 22 storeys and contain the affordable housing.

Another pair on the beach side of the site rise from 30 to 38 storeys and contain the upmarket homes.

There is a public piazza and a winter garden including a large artwork by Antony Gormley. There would be 438 flats in the scheme.

The city council will select its preferred developer in late May or early June.

See the designs at thisisbrightonandhove.co.uk/alfred