Campaigners are mobilising against plans to build up to 260 high-rise flats on a prime harbour site.

An action group has formed to seek a judicial review to overturn a decision allowing developer Redrow Homes to build six apartment blocks at the entrance of Sovereign Harbour, Eastbourne.

Residents donating £50 each have so far poured several thousand pounds into a fund set up by Sovereign Harbour Against Redrow Plans (Sharp) to fight the plans through the courts.

Sharp is seeking judicial review in the hope of overturning the decision which was narrowly agreed in August by Eastbourne Borough Council's planning committee.

It says to build six blocks, six to eight storeys high contradicts the original vision put forward by the borough council in the late Eighties of Sovereign Harbour as similar to the quaint Honfleur harbour in Normandy.

Fears of an important site being swamped by concrete with the added concern about flooding has galvanised opposition among residents at the harbour and across Eastbourne.

Sharp secretary Brenda Hilliam said: "Eastbourne had this wonderful opportunity to build a tremendous marina development but, as far as I'm concerned, it has been missed.

"Redrow has some lovely developments with nice homes but I was horrified to see their plans for Sovereign Harbour. It's terrible."

Campaigners, including Eastbourne Tory MP Nigel Waterson, are aware time is not on their side, with a deadline to file for judicial review expected to lapse at the end of October.

Mrs Hilliam added: "We have got to take a stand as it is no good a few years down the line saying we should have acted. We're doing it now."

Chartered town planner Chris Berry reckons approval of Redrow Homes' plans has set a dangerous precedent, giving free rein for developers to increase the density of their developments to the detriment of surroundings.

He said legal advice to councillors at August's meeting was flawed, flood fears by the Environment Agency were not taken proper account of and a publicly-consulted brief produced several years ago was not included in the plan.

Mr Berry, a Lib Dem parliamentary contender, said: "People are very, very angry because they see this development as a complete dereliction of what the harbour should be like.

"It has set a dangerous precedent as developers will now be queuing up to double the size of their developments.

"It's a very big issue for the harbour, which forms a very important part of Eastbourne's future."

Requests by Sharp to meet with representatives from High Wycombe-based Redrow Homes have been met with resistance.