Animal lovers are holding a protest against a proposal to open penguin and seal pools at the entrance to an aquarium.

The Brighton Sea Life Centre has lodged a planning application with Brighton and Hove City Council for permission to build the pools at the entrance area of the aquarium in Marine Parade, Brighton.

Animal lovers say the proposal is a retrograde step in animal rights and the busy and noisy site is unsuitable for any species of animal.

According to the application, the two pools would be built outside the main Sea Life Centre building, at the bottom of the steps at the entrance, with the unused kiosks at the top of steps as a ticket office.

The former Brighton Dolphinarium was closed in the Nineties after protests against the conditions, which were considered unsuitable, and animal lovers say city centre aquariums are inappropriate for seals and penguins.

A Sea Life Centre spokesman said it was unlikely to have penguins at the venue and had included an application for a penguin pool in case it wanted to have one in the future. However, two seals would be housed in the new facilities if granted permission.

He said: "The new sanctuary will be a very different proposition indeed to the rather dank and dismal sea mammal pools that this attraction housed prior to its purchase by the Sea Life network in 1991."

The protest takes place on Saturday at 2pm on the promenade opposite the centre.