A decision will be made early next year on whether there should be a major new development at the West Pier in Brighton.

City council planning officers are examining a huge amount of information on the bid to build on either side of the pier.

Developers St Modwen and the Brighton West Pier Trust say the leisure development is needed to make a restored pier viable.

But opposition groups, led by Save Our Seafront, insist the project is too big for the site.

Dr Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the trust, said the basic design had been with the council for 16 months and the revised design for four months.

He expected the plan to be approved and hoped it would be considered as soon as possible.

A grant of £1.2 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund is now being spent on work for the pier.

Dr Lockwood said: "There is little visible evidence since almost all of the activity is desk work, including engineering drawings and assessments.

"However, all of that work is crucial to achieve the final decision and plan the restoration.

"Final preparatory work to achieve the restoration is proceeding at pace, regardless of the objections and challenges being pursued by the Noble Organisation and Save Our Seafront."

Noble, which owns the Palace Pier, has challenged a decision by the European Commission to allow grant aid to be paid to the West Pier.

It will argue before the European Court that the grant amounts to unfair competition.