Boxer Chris Eubank is preparing for round two of his battle with neighbours over proposals to develop his home.

Residents living near the former world champion thought they had seen off plans to sell his two properties in Upper Drive, Hove, to make way for blocks of flats.

But they have been angered to learn developers Birch Restorations have resubmitted a revised planning application with hardly any changes to the original controversial designs.

The application proposes Eubank's two properties on Upper Drive are demolished and more than 40 flats, a number of which would be earmarked as low cost and reserved for the elderly, built in their place.

The celebrity lives in one of the £2 million detached homes with his wife Karron and four children and uses the building next door as a gym.

One of the leading opponents of the scheme, who lives in nearby Caisters Close, said: "We were told council officers advised the original developers the scheme would be dropped if it was not redesigned.

"But this new application is almost the same. The size of the buildings has not changed and the density of the flats has not changed.

"They have just removed the pitched roofs and replaced them with flat ones."

The neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: "It is a really bad scheme and looks like a nasty Eighties pastiche.

"We are not objecting to this because we don't like Chris Eubank or we don't want to see social housing built here. It is because it is an overdevelopment of the site, very poor architecture and there is not enough parking for the increased traffic you will get with 40 new flats."

When the application was first submitted, about 50 nearby households signed a petition objecting to the proposals.

They are being supported by Anne Giebeler, ward councillor for the area, who vowed to fight the application when it comes before Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee next year.

She said: "If this development happens it will be the end of the Upper Drive. The residents have told me they will all sell their properties.

"This development is in the wrong place. The design of the building is ugly and this new application looks even worse. The whole of that area will be downgraded by this scheme."

Mr Eubank, who is on a book tour around Britain, was unavailable for comment.

Thursday November 27, 2003