Plans for a new memorial and museum honouring those killed in the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting have sparked a heated row, with families of the victims clashing over its appropriateness.

The winner of a design competition for the site was announced last week, with those running the project hoping it can become a “sanctuary of healing” for the community in Orlando, Florida.

The project has been accused of profiteering from tragedy, with critics angered by the expectation that the museum will have both an admission charge and a gift shop.

Forty nine people were killed when a gunman opened fire in the club.

It was America's deadliest mass shooting before the Las Vegas tragedy the following year.

The winning design will have 49 coloured lines weaving along the ground of the memorial towards a garden planted with 49 trees - one for each of the people who died.

The memorial, which will be free and open all year, will incorporate the Pulse building itself.

There will also be a museum and educational space.

The winning design, which was picked from 68 submissions from 19 countries, was created by a team led by the architects Coldefy & Associés.