New-look marina plans are put on show

Half a billion pounds of investment is being poured into projects to transform the concrete shopping centre and car parks into a thriving residential quarter of Brighton and Hove.

The 28-storey Marina Point tower has a 'pack of cards' design which forms the centrepiece of a £320m plan being unveiled today by developers Explore Living.

Furthest out to sea is the Roaring Forties skyscraper, a 40-storey building which is part of a £250m project led by Brunswick Developments.

Backers of the two schemes hope to turn the marina into a self-supporting district of the city, with thousands of new and affordable homes.

Amenities like a doctor's surgery, post office and bank are included in the designs in addition to the restaurants, pubs and shops already trading from the site.

While the Roaring Forties has already been approved, Explore Living is expected to apply for planning permission from Brighton and Hove City Council later this month.

The plans are going on show to the public tomorrow.

They are the result of 15 months of consultations which saw one building reduced from 15 to four storeys and the Marina Point tower moved closer to the Roaring Forties tower from its original site near the cliffs.

Rooftop gardens and a new Harbour Square to replace the roundabout at the bottom of the entrance ramp have been designed to make the marina more attractive and pedestrian-friendly.

The plans include the creation of 8,000 square metres of green space within the man-made marina structure.

Explore Living, the residential arm of construction giant Laing O'Rourke, is planning 1280 new flats in five separate complexes.

Car parking is underneath the buildings, with provision for 60 per cent of residents.

A transport interchange, designed to take account of a proposed rapid transit system, is designed for buses, taxis and tuc-tucs near the cafes and shopping area of The Octagon.

The flats - in addition to the 850 already approved as part of the Brunswick development - will create 2,000 new homes at the site.

Affordable homes account for 40 per cent of the residential units, with key workers targeted for either rented or shared ownership with housing associations.

The project is expected to create 700 new jobs.

If approved, the full development would not be complete until 2015.

Business leader Mark Froud, the chief executive of Sussex Enterprise, was among the first to welcome the plans.

He said: "The marina has a chequered past and this could be our last opportunity to see such significant private investment turn the area into a thriving city district.

"It will create jobs, attract more business and help invigorate the surrounding economy."

The Explore Living buildings are designed to use 81 per cent renewable energy and heat generated by Asda to provide cheaper hot water for their residents.

A fitness centre, cycle club and jogging track form part of the plans.

An 'eco-quarter' is included in the plans, creating a space for children next to the cliff face.

Nearly £1 million is being earmarked for public art and almost £1 million for investment in education in east Brighton.

Explore Living project leader Jim Dennis said: "We have spent over a year listening to the community to explore what their aspirations are for the western quarter of the marina.

"As a result of speaking to over 4,000 people and listening to their concerns our designs have significantly evolved to create a development that we are confident provides a balanced response to the desires of all."

Artist Jason Bruges won a competition run with the city council to design lighting for the site.

The spectacular proposals include projections on the cliff face activated by the movement of people above and below as well as reflective water features and underwater lights to illuminate the underside of the flyover.

In Park Square 'floating' light masts will move with the wind while on the sea wall floodlights will come on according to the movement of the tide and the presence of pedestrians, changing colour according to wind speeds.

European artist Lars Wolter has been commissioned to design sculptures along the side of the Sea Wall buildings.

Andrew Goodall, the managing director of Brunswick Developments, said the future of the marina has never been brighter thanks to the two projects.

He said: "It is going from strength to strength.

"When it's complete I think it will be fabulous."

When the planning application is lodged, neighbouring businesses and residents will be notified and asked for their views.

The application will go before the city council's planning sub-committee within 13 weeks.

If that committee approves, the application must then go before a meeting of the full council for consideration.

The terms of the Brighton Marina Act require full council approval for any proposed development which is higher than the cliffs at the marina.

After a launch tonight the plans will be exhibited in the information centre in The Octagon from Saturday May 19 to Friday 25 May from 10am to 4pm.