The future is looking much brighter for a modern business centre which has stood empty since it was built almost four years ago.

Councillors have already agreed to widen the user clause for Exion 27, an imposing structure just off the A27 near Hollingbury, Brighton.

Now the managing agents have confirmed there is a tenant considering a move to take over the entire building.

The council's decision in September to change the user clause means the whole building can now be used for office space rather than just the upper floor.

The 28,000 sqft unit in Crowhurst Road was meant to attract modern manufacturing business, like mobile phone companies, to Brighton. A sharp downturn in the sector put paid to that theory.

But the real snag was a clause in the original planning consent which said office space on the upper floors had to be linked to the industries operating below. As a result, the hi-tech building, with commanding views of the South Downs, has cut a lonely figure since it was completed in 2001.

Now the troublesome clause has been dropped, managing agents Stiles Harold Williams are confident Exion 27 will come to life next year.

Tim Hardwicke, of managing agents Stiles Harold Williams, said: "The decision really opens up the opportunity of letting the building.

"We are in talks with a company that is very interested in taking the whole of the first floor and could possibly take over the whole building. It is one of only three buildings they are looking at so we are really hopeful of wrapping something up in the new year.

"Over the years we have had a lot of interest in the building but we have never been able to tie anything down. Now the future looks brighter."

Last year the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership held one of its regular meetings in the building to highlight the problems of inflexibility in the planning system.

A council spokesman said: "The original idea was to keep the main bit of the building for general and light industrial/research and development purposes. But we were aware that, despite having been offered to a number of interested inquirers, the building remained vacant since completion.

"Taking this into account, we agreed to change the planning conditions to allow more flexible uses suited to modern business requirements. We hope this will help bring it into use for the benefit of the city."