Brighton and Hove is booming with vacant sites and empty buildings being snapped up for new office and housing developments.

But there are some sites which have been empty for years where new schemes that would benefit the city are still a long way from starting.

Often there are complexities about ownership, finance and planning which make these sites difficult to develop.

One of them is Jubilee Street in the centre of Brighton, where successive schemes for a new library and other developments have remained on the drawing board.

But now work is about to start on a scheme which should give ideas to other developers who seem stuck, often in difficulties of their own making.

The city council kick-started the scheme by getting the library financed under a private-public partnership.

Then the developers, Norwich Union PPP, cleverly assembled a scheme for the rest of the site which would be profitable while giving the city benefits such as a civic square, low-cost housing and a hotel.

They consulted neighbourhood and amenity societies to ensure the design of the scheme fitted in well with the area and was a handsome piece of architecture.

Fierce rows have raged over other sites, such as the West Pier, the King Alfred and land next to Brighton station, over content and appearance. It won't be possible to please everyone but well-designed, carefully-planned schemes should win the backing of planners, financiers and the people who will use them.