Brighton and Hove's flagship King Alfred project was thrown into doubt after extraordinary scenes at a planning meeting this afternoon.

The city council's planning committee voted to take back power from officers just as they were about to rubberstamp the finer details of the application. The move prompted legal threats from Josh Arghiros, joint managing director of developer Karis Holdings.

Speaking after the meeting Mr Arghiros told The Argus: "I'm pretty sure it was held up at the request of the leader of the council.

"This is contrary to their obligations. It is a political manoeuvre to stifle the King Alfred project.

"We are now considering our position. We have had our lawyers here today and we will be using all legal remedies to address this."

More than 750 new homes and a state of the art leisure centre would be included in the redevelopment of the dilapidated King Alfred sports centre site on Hove seafront.

World-renowned architect Frank Gehry's tower design for the site has divided opinion across the city.

Under the planning consent given by the then Labour-dominated committee in March, a series of conditions from Karis Holdings had to be met.

These included financial contributions towards a variety of schemes such as improved public transport and the inclusion of police offices and a doctor's surgery.

The latest twist means the planning committee will have the final say on what planners refer to as a "section 106 agreement".

This has prompted criticism from the developers who see this as nothing more than a delaying tactic by the new Conservative administration which has long been opposed to the £290 million development.

What do you think about the council's decision? Will it harm the reputation of Brighton and Hove in the business community? Leave your comments below.