The Kingsway to the Sea project could be scaled back after being hit by soaring construction costs.

Inflation and a lack of building supplies nationally means the major seafront redevelopment scheme will now cost £3.9 million more than initially thought.

Work began in February to prepare the area between King Alfred Leisure Centre and Hove Lagoon for a new outdoor sports hub but Brighton and Hove City Council now says it may adapt the original plans to allow for inflated costs.

Council leader and chairwoman of the strategy, finance and city regeneration committee, Bella Sankey said: “Our new park on Hove seafront is going to be transformative and provide for cultivated green spaces, outdoor leisure and activities and improved access to our seafront.

“Sadly, rampant inflation means the costs of construction have been steadily rising everywhere and we are also being affected by a national shortage of materials and labour.

The Argus: An artist's impression of how the plan was originally going to lookAn artist's impression of how the plan was originally going to look (Image: Brighton and Hove City Council)

“Our fantastic community and residents have inspired and led this project from the outset and worked closely with council officers at all stages to ensure we’re delivering what people want.

"We’ll be using this information to prioritise what features we should retain and we’re also asking residents to provide any further feedback on how we adapt to these increased costs."

Planners say they have managed to lower the budget gap to £2.2 million by slightly reducing the size of the site and reusing demolition materials throughout the build.

It comes as the city council announced this week that the former Green administration had overspent the budget by more than £3 million last year.

READ MORE: Brighton Green councillors overspent council budget by £3 million

The financial black hole left by the Green Party came to a total of £3.02 million - equivalent to around £11 for every person who lives in the city.

Labour councillors are so concerned by the overspending they are calling for external auditors to investigate the decisions made by the Green administration.