PLANS to pedestrianise one of Brighton’s most popular shopping streets have been blocked.

Council proposals to close East Street to traffic were voted down at a meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee last night.

The plan was for the road to have no vehicle access from 11am to 7pm while traffic would be sent down Little East Street.

Traders at the meeting were split on the proposal, with some saying the plans would benefit businesses and others saying it would have negative knock-on effects for other areas.

Stuart Wilkie, a trader in The Lanes, said businesses were not opposed to pedestrianisation in principle but want to see a more comprehensive plan with more investment put forward. Concerns over the safety of pedestrians on Little East Street were also raised.

The proposal, which was part of the Old Town Transport Scheme, was halted after members of the Labour and Conservative party spoke out against it. Councillor Tony Janio, Conservative, slammed the plans as a “pauper scheme” and called on the council to consider a larger pedestrianisation project for the area.

Labour councillor Gill Mitchell raised questions of safety and said: “You are going to have lorries trundling past people’s elbows on Little East Street.”

Fellow Labour Councillor Alan Robins said: “No one drives down East Street for pleasure, you only go there because you have to and this would not change.”

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, leader of the Conservative Group, pitched the idea of a trial period on weekends, which will now go to public consultation. He said: “There is an element of nervousness about driving traffic through Little East Street.”