Plans to double the size of a seafront nightclub will cause chaos in the area, a public inquiry heard.

Developer Aquarium Entertainment plans to increase the capacity of the club on Aquarium terraces from 902 to 1,750.

Brighton and Hove Council rejected the proposals because it said the quality of life in the Kemp Town area would be damaged by the noise.

The developers are appealing against the decision not to allow the scheme, which would create Brighton's second largest club. It would be operated by Cream.

Janie Thomas, secretary of the Kingscliff Society, said: "In our view, which has not softened as building has progressed, the development does

nothing to enhance our conservation area.

"At the meeting with the developers before their planning application was submitted, we were told that no nightclub was to be included.

"The development, both visually and in terms of its facilities, are alien to our area where previously everything had been small scale, fitting in with the predominately residential area of existing history and architecture."

Mrs Thomas questioned the developer's claim that clubbers would not make any extra noise.

She said: "Surely there's no valid reason to think that customers from this proposed club, who would also have spent several hours hyped up in a deafening noisy atmosphere, would behave any differently from any other clubbers.

"The only way in which such claims may partly be realised would be if all the customers on every night of the club's operation took a vow of silence on leaving the club, or disappeared into a puff of smoke, which takes us into the realms of

fantasy."

The inquiry is expected to finish on Friday.

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