Controversial plans to build nearly 500 homes on a gasworks will be debated again after they were initially rejected.

Developer St William officially appealed against the decision not to approve plans to build on the former gasworks site next to the A259 near Brighton Marina.

The plans, which the developers said would “regenerate an under-used brownfield site” will go before an inspector in an eight-day hearing.

Over 1,700 objections were received about the plans with fears from residents about the effect the plans would have on the area as well as concerns over contamination and toxic chemicals released from the site during the building process.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council confirmed St William had submitted an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate at the beginning of October over the decision to refuse the application.

The Planning Inspectorate has since announced that an inspector had been appointed for the inquiry.

The inquiry will take place over eight days running from March 18, 2025.

The council added: “Officers will begin to notify local residents in the coming weeks and upload the appeal submission details to our planning register.”

St William spent more than four years on its proposals for 495 homes, including 11 blocks of flats up to 12 storeys high.

The planning application included 2,791 square metres of commercial floor space at ground floor level and a “green link” between Marina Way and Roedean Road.

The fate of the £280 million scheme was decided at the end of a six-and-a-half-hour meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council’s planning committee at Hove Town Hall in May.

The planning committee voted seven to three against the scheme because it would be too big and cramped, would harm the area’s historic heritage and contained too few family homes.

Campaigners shed tears of joy as the controversial plans were rejected.

Councillor Liz Loughran, chairwoman of the planning committee, said: “Although the Committee formed a judgement that many of the elements of the scheme were positive, members were not satisfied that the balance of benefits outweighed the harms.”

“We’ve seen and heard a lot of evidence both for and against the Brighton Gasworks scheme, but ultimately the Planning Committee had too many concerns to approve this application.

“Further improvements are required to address the design issues for this site that also affect the quality of living conditions for future residents.”