The developers behind the £290 million King Alfred complex have criticised a move to have the decision on whether to allow it taken away from Brighton and Hove.

Six Conservative councillors, representing the ward where the Frank Gehry-designed leisure and homes complex would be built, are demanding an independent Government inspector decide the outcome of the application, not Brighton and Hove City Council.

They sent a letter to the Government Office of the South East (GOSE) this week saying they believed the issue was too contentious to be decided by the planning committee.

Karis managing director Josh Arghiros said the request would not stop it moving forward with the project, expected to go before the planning committee in the summer.

Mr Arghiros said: "I cannot judge what GOSE decide to do, other than look carefully at the reasoning behind the request and then make its decision. I cannot see any reason at all that this city should not be the master of its own destiny and allow its elected members to decide on behalf of the electorate."

He added: "This is just another opportunistic attempt by a small group of Conservative councillors who have from day one tried to derail this project.

They would give the impression they speak for the whole Conservative group but we know that many of the local Conservative councillors and members are very much for the project."

The redevelopment of the Hove seafront site would include 752 flats, a sports centre, a doctors' surgery, cafes, restaurants and an art installation by British sculptor Antony Gormley.

The letter, signed by Conservative leader Garry Peltzer Dunn, councillors Averil Older, Jan Young, Brian Oxley, Denise Cobb and Ted Kemble, suggested planning committee members could be "unduly influenced by local interest groups".

It said the scheme would put more pressure on an already-strained infrastructure and the environmental impact on the area would be huge.

Coun Peltzer Dunn said asking an inspector to make a decision was the fairest way to consider the plans.

He said: "People want to see justice done. There have been certain times in the last few months where the planning committee has been put under extreme pressure and been criticised for the decision it has made."

Simon Burgess, leader of the city council, said: "We would normally prefer applications to be decided locally but this is a very important application which needs to be looked at carefully."

A GOSE spokeswoman said it had not yet received the letter and could not comment on the specific request.

Earlier this month Karis submitted a second environmental impact statement to the council including about 20 new computer-generated images, to address outstanding questions on the likely impact of the development on surrounding streets.

A second round of consultation ends on April 21.