A nightclub has reassured residents its plan to open until 4am will not lead to a rise in late night yob violence.

The £2.2 million Funktion Rooms, formerly called the House of Commons, is due to open in Pevensey Road, Eastbourne, in the summer.

The three-room club will be open six days a week and will feature live bands and DJs playing drum and bass, house, hip hop and R&B.

But nearby residents have voiced concern at the club's bid to serve alcohol from 8pm to 4am on Mondays to Saturdays.

Club officials are also asking Eastbourne Borough Council for permission to stay open from 8pm to 3am on Sundays.

Yesterday, the Pevensey Road Neighbourhood Association met with club boss Rob Jackson.

Afterwards, the association's Yvonne Burrell said: "We are happy with the fact he is anxious to work with us.

"We now understand where each side is coming from. We want to meet in the middle and I'm confident we can do that. He said the reason for staggered opening hours is to ease the number of people in the town centre all at once.

"And he said he is going to take steps to ensure his clients keep noise down to a minimum, which was a particular concern of residents."

The company behind the venture, London-based Mansito, aims to turn the Funktion Rooms into a nationally-recognised club.

More than 200 applications have been received for the 60 full and part-time jobs created, including bar staff, cleaners, door hosts and maintenance staff.

The building of a new state-of-the-art nightclub in the town is part of Eastbourne's bid to rid itself of its blue-rinse image.

Mr Jackson said: "Wherever we go, we seek to have an open dialogue with our neighbours to iron out any concerns.

"We don't want to upset anyone and are as keen as everyone else to ensure that all parties are happy.

"I thought the meeting was very productive and I took on board a lot of the concerns raised."