Two thousand new jobs could be created under plans to redevelop one of the biggest brownfield sites in the South East.

Developers hope to turn the former Blue Circle Cement Works just outside Shoreham into a business park with new homes, a hotel and leisure facilities.

The 114-acre site at Upper Beeding has stood derelict since cement production stopped there ten years ago.

Owners Hargreaves Securities are ready to submit a planning application for the multi-million pound project to Adur Council after 18 months of research into plans for the site.

The developers envisage the site would provide the location and buildings suitable for a mix of high technology, manufacturing and distribution companies.

Hargreaves is in consultation with both Adur Council and Horsham Council over the plans.

Callstone Ltd, part of Rustington-based Hargreaves, originally submitted an application for the cement works a year ago.

They wanted to create 45,000 sq m of business space, and 25,000 sq m of leisure space on the site.

But Horsham Council told the company that its plans were not detailed enough and asked for more information.

The site lies across the boundaries of Adur and Horsham councils and features in their Local Plans.

Adur has agreed that the site can be developed for residential and commercial uses, while Horsham's Local Plan provides for mainly leisure and commercial development.

Outline planning applications received for the site so far have been put on hold to allow both councils to work with the South East of England Development Agency and other agencies to draw up a planning study for the site.

The site is in a South Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and extensive tree planting and landscaping would form part of the project.

Hargreaves spokesman Christopher Boulter said: "The majority of the site lies on the Eastern side of the A283 Shoreham to Beeding Road.

"It will include an appropriately landscaped business park complimented by leisure and hotel facilities fronting onto the main road.

"On the much smaller site west of the A283 there will be a limited amount of residential development in keeping with local architecture."

But the South Downs Conservation Board is keen to see the site become green again, and used for fishing and birdwatching.

They have called for it to be treated as countryside in need of restoration rather than treated as a brownfield site.

People living in the shadow of the cement works have welcomed the new plans.

Many live in Dacre Gardens, two rows of terraced cottages, which used to house workers from the plant.

Some, like 88-year-old Alec Truelove, still live there.

Mr Truelove was a shift supervisor manufacturing cement for more than 30 years.

He said:"It is fantastic news. It is about time something was done with the site after so long.

"New jobs and new homes is just what is needed around here, it will bring new life to the area.

"Mind you, let's see what happens with the planning application first.

"Everyone thought the dry ski slope would have been a good thing, but that never got off the ground."

The ski-slope proposal three years ago was the most ambitious scheme put forward for the site after Blue Circle pulled out in 1991.

The £180 million scheme would have built a national winter sports complex incorporating the world's largest indoor ski slope, a 7,000 seat arena, self-catering chalets, a hotel, ice rinks, ten-pin bowling, a cinema and a supermarket.

Another idea for the site was to develop it as a base for Brighton and Hove Albion's new soccer stadium, but it was ruled out because of poor transport links.