Hollywood star Brad Pitt is not as involved in a controversial £290 million seafront complex as the developers behind the scheme first suggested.

World famous architect Frank Gehry, who is designing a leisure and homes complex at the King Alfred site in Hove, has opened developers Karis to accusations of spin by revealing the movie heart-throb has only been to his office twice and has had little or no involvement in the project.

This is more than a year after The Argus reported Karis had said the star was involved in the planning of the scheme after being given a photograph of Pitt working on a model of the development.

Back then, Josh Arghiros, chairman and chief executive of Karis, told The Argus: "Brad Pitt visits Frank Gehry's studio's regularly."

He added: "When Brad comes in he joins Frank and the team and takes part in some of the process.

"He is not a full-time member of the design team but a good friend of Frank's who expressed a keen and personal interest in following each stage of the King Alfred development project right through to completion."

Mr Arghiros also suggested Pitt may have been interested in buying an apartment in the development.

However, Pitt's "interest" appears to have significantly waned after his second visit to Gehry's office and is far from being even a part-time member of the design team according to Mr Gehry in an interview.

He told American magazine Newsweek: "We were - I don't know if we are any more - working in Brighton, England, and the guys at Brighton knew I knew Brad Pitt and knew he was interested in architecture. They asked me if he would like to participate and design the bar, or an apartment or something.

"So I called him and asked him and he said maybe. And he came by the office and looked at it and somebody here took a picture of him leaning over the model next to me.

"I don't know how it got into the Press. My guys didn't do it.

"From that day, I've never heard from him."

Cindy Guagenti, Mr Pitt's Beverly Hills-based agent, said the actor had spoken to Mr Gehry in the past but was not actively involved with him.

The revelation has opened the scheme to criticism from opponents who have always said the revelation Brad Pitt was involved was a publicity stunt to add glamour to the project.

Ken Fines, founder member of campaign group Heritage Over Vandalism Actually, said: "There is no doubt in my mind the whole thing is a publicity stunt.

"They think getting film stars or well-known people involved will help give it the go-ahead."

Mr Arghiros yesterday said: "We were told Brad Pitt was interested in maybe designing a restaurant - all we did was say what we had been told."

When asked if he had questioned the Gehry Partnership about Brad Pitt's involvement with the project, Mr Arghiros said: "I don't give a stuff. Why would we put the question to them?

"He's not a designer or an architect. Frank's the architect.

"This scheme is possibly the most important thing that's happened to the city. Brad Pitt is a little bit of fluff in this. Frank's design is what we care about.

"This is too important to dwell on - the reality is the fact that it's producing the best architecture in the world, in Britain, in Brighton for the people of Brighton."

He said the scheme would create housing for the city's workers and would bring "real sustainability, real infrastructure, and real transport improvements, art and architecture the envy of the world, growth and regeneration for this underutilized site, economic benefits that run to £25 million plus per year, education and training that will enable people of all ages and backgrounds to achieve qualifications and learn real skills that will provide them with employment for their working lives."