A pub chain has been given the go-ahead to set up an outlet at Brighton Marina, creating 50 jobs and adding to the nightlife.

Run by JD Wetherspoon, the superpub will be part of the transformation of the marina, which includes a £50 million development of new buildings and towers.

On Thursday, Lewes magistrates gave JD Wetherspoon a licence to open one of its Lloyds No 1 bars at the new Waterfront Development.

The Lloyds bars are unlike other pubs in the Wetherspoon chain as they have background music playing.

The new pub will be called the Watermark and will take up two units and two floors of the Waterfront.

Costing £1.5 million to fit out, the Watermark will take up 6,000sqft, making it almost twice as big as the other Brighton Wetherspoon pub in West Street.

Managers are recruiting 50 full and part-time bar and restaurant staff for the pub, which is scheduled to open before the end of the summer.

Work will start in the next few weeks on fitting out Brighton's newest and biggest bar.

Another smart pub is due to open its doors at the marina before the new Wetherspoon is established.

The Golden Lion Group, run by flamboyant Brighton businessman Dave Day, is set to open its Piano Bar in the same Waterfront Development next month.

Both pubs will be open for the maximum hours allowed with food served throughout the day.

Tim Martin, chairman of the Wetherspoon chain, said: "We are committed to the new city of Brighton and Hove. Our two existing pubs in the city, Wetherspoon's, West Street, and The Cliftonville Inn, George Street, Hove, have both done well.

"We believe our Lloyds No 1 bar concept is right for Brighton Marina, which is at last living up to its full potential."

The Wetherspoon chain was started by Mr Martin when he worked in the City of London.

He started his own pub because he could not find pubs which sold a good variety of beer at reasonable prices and food throughout the day and did not blast out music.

Multi-millionaire Mr Martin now heads a chain which has 640 pubs across the UK and 30 Lloyds No 1 bars. It is one of the fastest growing pub chains in the UK.

He named the chain JD Wetherspoon after a teacher at school who told him he would never make a success of his life.

The Argus recently reported how residents have reacted with horror to the prospect of red and green tower blocks, proposed by Parkridge Developments, at the marina.

Residents said the blocks, designed by Brighton architect Piers Gough, were alien and out of scale with the surroundings.

Mr Gough said his designs would help the marina be seen from the outside.

Tuesday April 22 2003