A Fantasy Island that would save Brighton's West Pier has been proposed by developers.

Mystery entrepreneurs have put their £100 million vision before the Brighton West Pier Trust.

The scheme, which would not need public subsidy, involves a complete restoration of the Grade I listed pier.

money-making activity to pay for the restoration would be carried out at sea and be largely leisure-based, including spas.

Because it would be offshore, the development would not need planning permission from Brighton and Hove City Council.

The scheme was revealed by trust chief executive Dr Geoff Lockwood as one of three being seriously considered. Another is an English Heritage idea announced earlier this year to restore the pier to its 1866 original state.

The third is a revival of the scheme by developer St Modwen, which already has planning permission.

It ran into difficulties in January when the Heritage Lottery Fund withdrew its offer of funding.

St Modwen is revising its proposal so more revenue-generating activity would take place on the pier and less in a controversial enabling development on the shore.

The three proposals were outlined at a meeting between the trust and Conservative shadow culture secretary Julie Kirkbride.

Dr Lockwood said an advantage of the scheme was that it did not rely on public funding.

There was also merit in a landlocked city looking out to sea for development.

Ms Kirkbride said tourism was one of the biggest generators of jobs in Britain and it needed encouragement.

She said: "Priority has to be given to schemes such as this which would provide jobs and restore a part of the national heritage."

Nicholas Boles, Tory parliamentary hopeful for Hove, said: "The West Pier is part of the whole city.

"I'd like to see a bit more detail about the island scheme. It is hard to imagine how it could be built in the sea around the pier.

"Anything that can restore the pier and not cost public money would be worth considering but the design and visual impact would be strong factors."

Clive Buxton, of campaign group Save Our Seafront, said: "We must wait until it has become a more fixed idea but I can't think anyone would go for an island."

He said a revised St Modwen scheme would still require lottery funding and it was uncertain whether the English Heritage scheme was viable.

Mr Buxton, who opposed the large enabling development proposed for the original St Modwen scheme, stressed Save Our Seafront wanted the pier restored.

Last year, architect Alan Phillips put forward a scheme for a pleasure island scheme in the sea off Brighton that did not involve the West Pier.

He said he was not part of the consortium that had been in touch with the trust but was keen to speak to Dr Lockwood about the new proposals.

Access would be needed to the island development and he said: "There wouldn't be a better landing stage than the West Pier."

His £500 million scheme includes a hotel complex, conference halls, a leisure dome and eight blocks of residential flats on each arm of the island.