A former furniture store could be knocked down to make way for new shops and flats.

The old Buxton store in Ditchling Road, Brighton, has been empty for almost a year and now City Gateway Developments is proposing to replace it with a showroom on the ground floor and 27 homes, many of them affordable, above it. A planning application said the building was of "low architectural merit". Plans also include 27 secure cycle parking spaces and eight car spaces.

A final decision will be made by Brighton and Hove City Council.

The store is near London Road, which councillors and shop owners say needs regeneration after it lost its Co-op and Sainsbury's stores.