A striking striped eight-storey building inspired by deckchairs could add a splash of colour to the historic heart of Brighton.

The stepped tower proposed for bohemian North Laine is the latest project from Karis Developments.

The company has already caused a storm with its schemes for the King Alfred site on Hove seafront, dubbed the Tin Can Towers, and the 18-storey 'Endeavourest' skyscraper in Preston Road, Brighton.

If allowed, it could be the first in a series of similar buildings for buzzing North Laine. But are the locals ready for the Banana Block?

It will dwarf the surrounding cottages and its sandy yellow stripes and chunky appearance will be eye-catching at the very least.

Karis, headed by development maverick Josh Arghiros, has seized on North Laine's "funky" image for this design for the corner of North Road and Cheltenham Place, a street of mostly two-storey houses.

The block, which could be the first of a series designed by Piers Gough, is eight storeys tall. The facade will be striped with alternating smooth and pebbled textures.

Inside will be a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats. There will be room for 12 bikes but no cars. A cafe/restaurant is planned for the ground floor.

The design fits in with Brighton and Hove council's ethos of providing new housing in a city where space is limited by building upwards.

Mr Arghiros believes it will also trigger an architectural renaissance in the "extremely funky" quarter, led by the new Jubilee Library complex.

He has a vision of a series of similar mini-towers across the zone inspired by the Italian city of San Gimignano, known as the "place of beautiful towers".

He said: "North Laine is a really buzzing area with lots of individual buildings - no two are the same. Everything has its own character and we just wanted to add to that feeling by putting something there that is a bit zappy, young, vibrant and happy."

But Selma Montford, honorary secretary of the Brighton Society conservation group, is less enthusiastic.

This week she sent out 1,000 leaflets urging neighbours to object to the latest proposal.

She said: "The brief says it will be the first of a 'handful' of towers. I don't think residents realise it is a first of many. It's not just the effect it will have on the tiny two-storey cottages - it will change the whole feel of the area.

"They say the area is funky but it's exactly the fact that there aren't any towers that makes it funky."

It is not the first controversial project Mr Arghiros has attempted.

He is the force behind architects Frank Gehry and Piers Gough's proposal for the King Alfred site, dubbed the Tin Can Towers, which was given the go-ahead by Brighton and Hove's planning committee last month.

The 'Banana Block' proposal is expected to go before the planning committee in October.