More than 1,500 inquiries have been made about city loft-living since the project was first unveiled in The Argus.

The £18.5 million project is on show in the old Evening Argus building at North Road in Brighton.

City Loft Developments is transforming the building into 61 luxury apartments of one, two and three bedrooms.

Called Argus Lofts, the scheme has been designed both inside and outside by Conran and Partners, Sir Terence Conran's architectural practice.

Estate agents Austin Gray said there had been a record level of inquiries into the development.

The designs were shown to leading figures in the city at a launch party before the covers came off the newly-finished marketing suite for a special preview week.

Big queues are expected outside the development on Wednesday when the apartments, which are about to start being built, are released for sale. Prices will start from £130,000.

Queues formed for three days before the release of another City Loft Developments project on the quayside in Newcastle-upon-Tyne earlier this year.

Andre Mansoori-Dara, head of sales and marketing for City Loft Developments, said: "The reaction in Brighton has been incredible. We just knew the first metropolitan-style loft living would prove very popular in Britain's newest city.

"But even we've been surprised by the sheer volume of interest. Argus Lofts has seen some of the highest levels of inquiries that we've had for any of our developments."