Plans to open a business park at Newhaven came a step closer after companies agreed to help meet the costs.

The proposed Eastside business park had run into difficulties over funding to develop a port road to provide access to the site.

But East Sussex County Council, which has so far invested more than £1million in the scheme, has been in discussions with companies Parker Pen, the Baker Trust and the Bannertown Group to generate ideas aimed at reducing the cost to the taxpayer.

The companies own parcels of land on the site and the council believes some of the cost of developing the port road should be met by the private sector.

Daphne Bagshawe, deputy leader of the council, said: "This has been a long and complex issue but we do now have a way forward that will reduce the cost to council tax payers but still deliver the new jobs and regeneration of Newhaven which we are all keen to see.

"There are huge budget pressures on the council and many competing demands on our funds. I am very pleased our partners in the private sector have understood this and come up with a way forward. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them and our county council officers, in particular Steve Ankers and his team, for all their hard work."

More than 1,000 jobs are expected to be created with the completion of the business park.

The council has not released details of the private sector proposals but work will soon start to drain part of the Ouse estuary to enable the first phase of the access road to be built.

This will involve a contribution from the council with the majority of the funding coming from the South-East England Development Agency.