A landmark building is set to be demolished to make way for hundreds of student flats.

An exhibition will be held this weekend on plans to knock down the former Co-Op building in London Road, Brighton, and replace it with a new seven-storey structure with space for 400 students.

A retailer, likely to be the Co-Operative, would take up the ground floor.

The application, by student accommodation providers Watkins Jones and the Co-Operative, is to house international students from the University of Sussex.

The 80-year-old building has been largely vacant for a number of years and plans for its refurbishment have been developing for some time, according to Paul White, director of planning at Genesis Town Planning, which has organised the exhibition.

He said: “This would be a new landmark for London Road and would hopefully spearhead the regeneration of that whole area.

“These plans are far from finalised and we are keen to get as much information as possible from local residents on what they want to see.”

Mr White said he expected a planning application to be submitted at some point this summer.

According to Rev Philip Wells, chairman of the London Road Area Local Action Team, feelings are likely to be mixed.

He said: “It will be great to see that space thriving again but I would be sad to see that façade go. The Co-Op building is one of the few landmarks we have in London Road and if they could at least incorporate the façade in the new design that would make me feel a lot better.

“Most residents are likely to be concerned about the thought of 400 students in that site, especially if parties were going on all night.

“This site is the key to redevelopment in London Road, so it needs to be done well.”

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