Up to 100 jobs would be created under plans to open a £2 million country-style restaurant.

The 150-seat scheme by Bass involves the conversion of Benfield Barn, off Hangleton Lane, in Hove.

It has the backing of Wilsco, the new owners of Benfield Valley, whose future is under discussion by Brighton and Hove Council.

The council is currently consulting people about the future of the valley which extends from the West Hove Sainsbury's to the Brighton bypass. But Wilsco says it has not yet been sent any details of the consultation.

Spokesman Steve Callow said he was prepared to sit down with anyone and discuss the future of the valley, which is a green lung between Hove and Portslade.

But he added any scheme had to take account of the fact that maintaining the valley was expensive.

Wilsco has just spent up to £15,000 removing tons of rubbish left by travellers who occupied the land south of Hangleton Lane.

It also spends £120,000 a year on the nine-hole Benfield Golf Course, which it says is up to the standard of St Andrew's. The income is not comparable.

Mr Callow would like to see the lower half of the valley used for outdoor leisure and is happy to discuss Hove Park Lower School's ideas for sports pitches on part of it.

He would like to keep the golf course on land to the north of the lane.

The company plans to resite four derelict cottages and make them habitable.

Mr Callow said he found children playing on rubbish dumped on the site recently and told them to play elsewhere He said: "They told me they had nowhere to play and yet there is 17 acres of land here which they could use.

"I would like to try to help the community rather than the bees, birds and butterflies.

"Butterflies live only three days whereas a kid is around for ten years."

Mr Callow said conservationists were keen to see the barn turned into a nature reserve and the rest of the valley into a park as a stepping-off point for the Downs.

He said he was happy to discuss these proposals with them and the council provided they gave some sort of indication about who was going to pay.

Mr Callow said the restaurant would fulfil a need in Brighton and Hove and added: "It would be in a nice country setting next to the ninth hole of a golf course."

He added: "I have serious local support for these plans. It is a wonderful valley."