An historic electric railway could run from the Palace Pier to Brighton Marina in a pioneering leisure development.

Volk's, which started in 1883, is the oldest electric railway in the world and runs from the Aquarium to Black Rock in Brighton.

Now Brighton and Hove City Council wants to see it rejuvenated and extended with a derelict site transformed into an exciting new leisure complex.

Black Rock open-air swimming pool was closed in 1978 and the site has been lying derelict since.

The city council is marketing the two-acre prime site to developers for leisure projects and asking firms to develop imaginative transport links.

Interested parties will be asked to consider improving and possibly extending the Volk's Railway that passes close by.

Culture Cabinet councillor Ian Duncan said: "We want developers to try to incorporated Volk's into their transport plan. I want to make sure its heritage is protected.

"They might consider extending it to the Palace Pier and into the Marina even though it might pose a slight problem. An extension could cut the site in half by either obstructing access to the leisure complex or the beach. But it can't be an insurmountable problem."

Patronage of the railway has fallen to 100,000 a year and the track needs investment. Residents have said they want to see more leisure on the site and firms will be asked to abide by that.

More than 500 people, local amenity societies and business groups, were consulted in a survey carried out by the council in 1999.

In the meantime, council officials are preparing a long-term report on how the railway can be upgraded.