Surfers have hit out at plans to build an office block on top of a surf spot regarded as one of the best in the South East.

Hundreds have registered protests against a scheme to create a new complex by driving 186 concrete piles into the seabed and beach alongside the eastern edge of Brighton Marina.

A four-storey building would be put up if the proposal by Brunswick Developments goes ahead, including 8,000sqm of office space, nine luxury flats and two cafés.

The area is a favourite among surfers because the barrier formed by the marina wall, known by some as Custard Point, shapes large waves which are uncommon in the South East.

They said the development could affect the break and would create a dangerous situation. Surfer Mat Hammond, 39, of Telscombe Close, Peacehaven, near Brighton, said he was worried the concrete piles would be hazardous and make the beach “like surfing under the pier”.

He said: “If this was a football or cricket pitch, there would be uproar.” Mr Hammond said he was also concerned by the possible environmental impact on the chalk reef beyond the beach.

He has led co-ordinated opposition to the scheme, including setting up a group on the Facebook website, which has been joined by more than 220 opponents.

Among them are Chris Cox, 47, a bronze medallist at the European Surfing Championships, and Steve Darch, 42, owner of surf shop Filf, in Rottingdean, near Brighton.

The opponents have sent objections to Sport England, the British Surfers Association and Brighton and Hove City Council.

Andrew Lay, of Brunswick Developments, said the piles would create “no more danger than the existing wall”. Surfers were not banned and “could continue to surf slightly further east”. He said the proposals had been discussed for over a year and included toilets and equipment storage for surfers.

They had received a “very positive response” from the British Surfers Association.

Tide is turning against us

David Pentland, 26, a graphic designer from Hove, comments: Once again the tide in Brighton is turning. The marina is the area’s top surf spot and this structure, buried deep under the coastline, may end it for good. It will affect the tide and the flow of the water and may change the nature of waves which people travel from across the country to surf.

It will mean the rip that runs along the side of the wall that you use to paddle out won’t be there. But we also don’t know how the drilling in of the poles will affect the reef, as it is very brittle and if the reef changes shape it could mean that the wave doesn’t break as well.

The marina surfers (sufferers) have been affected a few times before with lengthy cliff-strengthening procedures stopping us from surfing for long periods. The proposal seems contrary to Brighton and Hove City Council's planning policies to curtail beach developments and to ensure the seafront is accessible to all.