A BBC Radio 1 presenter is fronting a campaign against plans for flats she says would leave her home in the dark.

Briggy Smales, 36, who presents the entertainment news on the daytime Jo Whiley show, opposes proposals to demolish the Shape gym in Devonshire Place, Kemp Town, Brighton, and build flats in its place.

She lives in a basement flat two doors away and has already suffered more than a year of noise and mess from building work on a bakery that towers over the back wall of her tiny garden.

She said: "The bakery was bad enough - sometimes I lie in bed at night and panic about this one.

"They have already built what we call the "flyover" inches above my back wall. It's so ugly.

"I went away to Thailand, came back and it was there. It was horrifying.

"It's just lucky it is white because it reflects the light. If it was a dark colour, it would be so much worse."

She said if the flats went ahead she might as well be living in a cellar.

She said: "It will be so dark and miserable. I would never have bought the flat if I had known."

Permission for eight flats on the site was granted in 2002.

Briggy said: "What is worrying is hardly anyone knew about permission for eight flats going through, even though everyone in the street is supposed to get a letter."

Members of Shape gym say they were only told last week about the proposals to demolish the gym, which has been there for more than two decades.

Barry Mishon, who has lived next door to the gym for 20 years, says he only bought his house after the planners said the view would not be obstructed.

Mr Mishon said: "We value our privacy and wanted to make sure we would keep it but this development would tower over us. "

He said the actress Joanna Lumley, a friend of his, had visited once for lunch and remarked afterwards in a thankyou letter how much she liked the view from the flat - the same view which is now threatened by developers.

The objectors are also worried that more flats will mean more cars in an already packed street.

Parking spaces are precious and emergency service vehicles and refuse lorries already have difficulties getting through.

Briggy said: "I spent half an hour driving around looking for a parking space the other day and ended up parking in a multi-storey car park just so I wouldn't get a parking ticket."

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We encourage anyone who wants to object to write to the council and any comments will be put before the planners and committee members."

Developers Packham & Clarke declined to comment until after the proposal has been discussed by the planning committee.