The restoration of Britain's most beautiful pier is being put in jeopardy by opponents of a new seafront development.

Developer St Modwen is proposing a large new leisure scheme on either side of the West Pier in Brighton to ensure its future viability.

But it has been opposed by leading conservationists and neighbours as being far too big.

The West Pier, which is Grade-I listed, has been closed since 1975.

About £14 million of National Lottery money is likely to be earmarked for its restoration.

Dr Geoff Lockwood, chief executive of the Brighton West Pier Trust, said he expected comments on the design of the buildings.

Dr Lockwood added he could not understand why people questioned the necessity of a development of the proposed scale in order to achieve the restoration of the West Pier, saying it had been public knowledge for years.

He said it had taken years to prove this to the Heritage Lottery Fund, English Heritage and Brighton and Hove City Council, who all wanted to see a development of the minimum necessary scale.

Dr Lockwood said people who opposed that development were opposing the restoration of the pier and therefore accepted the pier would be left to rot.

He said: "My impatience is with those representatives of local societies who, despite the evidence, are trying to say the pier can be restored without such a development.

"Their attitude will give support to the Noble Organisation's vigorous attempts to maintain the monopoly situation of the Palace Pier."

St Modwen and the trust were invited to a meeting of local societies but did not attend.

They said the reason was they felt the meeting should have been delayed until a revised design for the development was made available in the autumn.

Five leading amenity societies have agreed to work together to oppose the development.

They are the Brighton Society, Hove Civic Society, Friends of Brunswick Square and Terrace, the Regency Square Area Society and the Kingscliffe Society.