A 16-STOREY tower will be the “beacon” of a new city quarter, developers have revealed.

Plans for the £80 million Hove Gardens development, including the demolition of one-storey warehouses to make way for high-rise flats and offices, have been made public.

Family-run developer Matsim hopes the development in Ellen Street, Hove, will be the catalyst for a wider redevelopment of the area around Hove Station.

The proposals were first unveiled in November and following public consultation there are now 188 residential apartments planned instead of 178, although 1,988 sqm of offices and 226 sqm of retail space is retained from the initial proposals.

The father-and-sons firm from Balcombe first proposed a more extensive development called Hove Square.

It had office space for 1,250 jobs, a nine-screen cinema, supermarket and 380 homes.

But that was withdrawn in 2012 and these new plans have now been unveiled.

In a planning application, the project team said they hoped to rejuvenate “an ugly and pedestrian-unfriendly area” which is currently home to Furniture Village, Sussex Autocentre and Essential Hygiene into “a modern, state-of-the-art hub for modern businesses”and “high-quality” living spaces to create a “viable landmark regeneration project”.

The applicants said a very tall building visible around the city would act as a “beacon” and “advertise” the new quarter.

They said the site sat within a natural “bowl” which made it suitable for tall buildings.

The team also said that each building had its own design in a bid to “break up the mass” of the towers.

The application also reveals the intention to create a garden feel to the development with every apartment owner having access to a communal courtyard of 41 metres by 18 metres while the majority of residents will have access to terraces or rooftop gardens, allotments and picnic lawns.

The vision, including designs drawn up by Nick Lomax-led LCE architects, includes plans to make nearby Conway Street into a “pedestrian priority street” with passers-by popping into newly created shops.

It is estimated the development will bring in £3 million a year to the city and work could begin next summer if consent is granted.

Matsim director Simon Lambor said: “We are hoping this will be the first development which will kickstart the regeneration of the area.

“We have done modelling of the site and it is quite amazing how little impact it does have from Hove Park and from all around the site.”

A decision on the plans is expected at the end of October.