The revised scheme for the St Mary's Hall development in East Street and New Road was rejected at a meeting of Adur District Council's development control committee.

The plans were described by committee member Janet Mockridge as "a 1950s pastiche of something that would have been built in Croydon".

Officers had recommended the development for approval.

Ruined

A report, prepared for councillors, said: "While the proposal is not the ideal solution architecturally for preserving and enhancing the character of the historic heart of Shoreham, it is concluded that the regeneration objectives outweigh the misgivings about the design."

Committee member Emma Evans said: "There is a comment in the report that this proposal is not the ideal solution, and I agree with that, and, therefore, it's not good enough for us."

Mrs Mockridge added: "Brighton has actually ruined its town centre by putting up this sort of building.

"Why on earth would you want to put something like this in a conservation area?

"The mass of this building is overwhelming for the existing buildings and the design is absolutely appalling."

Damage

Michael Norman, speaking on behalf of the Shoreham Society, said: "Some of us have spent many years battling to keep Shoreham a nice place to live and a place people might want to visit.

"Why is there not now a new application?

"Instead, we have had months of tinkering which, if anything, has given us a design which is less appropriate.

"We ask you to refuse this application so we might, for once, hope for a new building that enhances, rather than damages, our town."

Conservation

The plans included demolishing 25 East Street and 1/1A New Road and retaining the old church hall to create 10 flats and a shop.

Changes were made to the plans after the council received hundreds of objections about the original design.

These included reducing the top floor from three two-bedroom flats to one three-bedroom flat, reducing the height of the top-floor flat, reducing the height of a parapet wall, stepping the main façade of the front wall and removing the ground-floor colonnade.

Philip Atkins, the agent for the developer, said: "We are very much aware that this is a conservation area.

"We have tried and have succeeded in producing a very good response to this problem site."

Best option

The council originally received 77 letters objecting to the plans before the meeting in April, when the plans were due to be considered, along with a petition of 286 signatures.

One letter was received in support of the plans.

The only councillor to speak in support of the plans at the meeting was Brian Coomber.

"I think what we have here is a reasonable attempt to put something on a difficult site

"The architect and developer have done the best they can with an impossible situation.

"I have not seen one design offered as an alternative to what the architect wants.

"I think this is probably the best we are going to get."

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