Business people joined celebrities to celebrate the official unveiling of the revised plans for the £235 million development in Brighton Marina.

The Argus revealed the new plans exclusively earlier this month for the development, which includes a 40-storey skyscraper and 853 new homes on the beach at the marina.

The plans have been described as a triumph for architects Wilkinson Eyre, the company behind the £25 million "winking eye" bridge over the Tyne in Gateshead.

The development, dubbed the Roaring Forties, is a reworking or a proposal which councillors rejected in August last year.

The plans came back scaled down and include a public viewing gallery on the top floor of the skyscraper, a swing bridge allowing people to walk or cycle all the way round the marina for the first time, seven restaurants and bars and a doctor's surgery as well as a sports court and bowling green.

Figures from the city's business sector joined celebrities including former Crossroads actor Tony Adams and singer David Van Day for the official celebration of the plans at the Dome in Brighton.

Andrew Goodall, managing director of Brunswick Developments, the company behind the plan, told the gathering: "A scheme like this really is a scheme for the city. It means hundreds and hundreds of jobs and hundreds of homes."

Mr Goodall added: "We had a scheme which we thought was good before but here we have a scheme which we think is better and we have taken out three whole buildings."

Mr Goodall said the skyscraper would complement the historic aspects of the city with its viewing area.

He added: "We are passionate about our heritage and a new building of high quality can be complementary to the existing buildings."

Guests were shown a film of how the new development would look and models were on display.

A public viewing was held yesterday and there will be another on Sunday at the Seattle Hotel, the Madison Room, Level Two, Brighton Marina.