Planning applications have been made to extend or improve nine buildings throughout East Brighton to create a virtual healthy living centre.

The £4.5 million project is being funded by the New Deal for Communities and aims to create the healthy living centre, which will not be in one building but spread throughout the nine.

The applications have been made to Brighton and Hove City Council for consideration and include improvements and extensions to buildings throughout Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb, Brighton.

The healthy living centre is being labelled virtual as it could not be built on one site because the New Deal area is spread across Moulsecoomb and Whitehawk.

In Whitehawk, the buildings to be improved or extended include the Wellesbourne Centre, St Cuthman's, Robert Lodge and Manor Farm Gym, The Greenhouse.

In Moulsecoomb, they include The E block, St George's Hall, Hillview Family Centre and the old post office.

One of the plans is to spend £700,000 updating and improving the Manor Road Gym in Whitehawk to enable fitness and exercise classes to meet.

The team working to improve the health of the people in East Brighton has also applied for £950,000 of revenue funding to the New Opportunity Fund from the National Lottery to employ about 13 health and administration workers to tackle health issues in the New Deal area.

Should the cash be granted in March, the workers will include a sexual health/teenage pregnancy worker, a youth health worker, mental health worker, a healthy eating worker, substance misuse worker and family support worker.

Billy Dann, the health project co-ordinator for the New Deal area, said: "The healthy living centre was always part of the New Deal for Communities plan and it will run across several buildings in Whitehawk and Moulsecoomb.

"We hope planning permission will be granted as soon as possible so the work may start on them next April."