International tycoon Sir Rocco Forte has unveiled his grand plan to create the "finest hotel in Brighton".

Multi-millionaire Sir Rocco is proposing a luxury spa complex and winter garden, complete with Brighton's answer to Cornwall's ecological Eden Project, at the Black Rock site.

He has joined forces with local architects The RH Partnership to come up with a vision for the rundown seafront site.

He said: "Simply, we will create the city's finest hotel."

Sir Rocco and RH will present the ambitious plans to a council panel today.

Planners must choose between two schemes left in the running for Black Rock after shortlisting the hotel and a rival scheme based on ice rinks.

Sir Rocco has already established five-star hotels across Europe in Rome, Florence, St Petersburg, London, Brussels, Frankfurt and Edinburgh.

For his Brighton effort he has reduced the number of rooms from the originally-planned l,250 to 160 to create more space and bring them up to the highest standard.

Sir Rocco said the popularity of the city's new breed of boutique hotels proved there was a demand for quality space in the city.

He said: "Brighton deserves a landmark hotel and we can provide that."

Sir Rocco, a member of the famous Forte hotel and catering family, founded his own luxury hotel chain in 1996.

Professor Stephen Adutt, consultant to RH, said Brighton was lagging behind rival resorts such as Bath and Edinburgh in providing modern, attractive spas.

He said the spa concept was a modern follow-up to the notion of Dr Richard Russell, whose seawater cure attracted people to Brighton more than 250 years ago.

The winter garden concept also echoes the nearby Kemp Town esplanade and slopes planned by architect Henry Phillips in 1835.

Prof Adutt said: "The glass-covered gardens will be a mini-Eden Project for the people of Brighton, to be called the Biodome."

RH director Andy Francis said while the hotel would be a luxury venue, the winter garden would be free and open to all.

He said: "The scheme already has funding in place. It has been designed and structured to incur long-term financial stability. No contribution will be needed from the council.

"It is a carefully-designed project that will add to the vibrancy of Brighton."

Black Rock was the site of a celebrated open-air swimming pool which was demolished in 1978. The site has been largely disused ever since.

A decision on which contender will be the preferred partner of the council is expected later this month.

RH is also one of the final four contenders to redevelop the Preston Barracks site off Lewes Road in Brighton.

Friday September 12, 2003