A leaked blueprint has revealed the extent of plans to impose hundreds of large communal bins across the city.

Brighton and Hove City Council wants to install up to 575 car-sized bins from May next year to cut down on rubbish strewn across the streets.

The move would affect 185,000 residents between Davigdor Road and the seafront and from Sackville Road in Hove to Boundary Road in Kemp Town.

In September the council delayed its decision following objections, and will now consult residents on the scheme which will spell the end for doorstep bin collections.

The Argus has been handed a leaked city council map of the proposed locations for the giant bins in Regency ward, where the plans have been met with opposition.

It reveals more than 100 bins would be located in streets across the area, with six planned in Brunswick Square and five in Regency Square.

Despite the leak the council refused to release a list of the proposed bin plots, stressing the plans have not been finalised and the map only provided a rough blueprint.

While the scheme will cost £675,000, the council projects the new bins will save the city £970,000 by 2015. However the bins were expected to take up more than 140 roadside parking spaces.

One councillor from each of the four parties in Brighton and Hove met recently with the council's contractor Cityclean to discuss the consultation process.

A consultation document will now be sent to each household on January 25 containing a questionnaire and a pre-paid envelope.

Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of the environment committee, said the black sack system was antiquated and communal bins would lead to a more clean and tidy city.

He said opposition to the scheme in the areas where it had been trialled over the last two years fell away when householders noticed the impact they had on cleanliness.

Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Elgood said: "The council is trying to roll this out in one hit but there is no reason it could not be phased in. We also don't believe the bins should be imposed on any areas if they are not wanted, because the scheme will only work with the co-operation of residents.

"As part of the consultation we will get a street by street breakdown of responses. It is vitally important that people have their say."

Labour group leader Gill Mitchell said: "We feel communal bins aren't a one-size fits all solution."

The black metal containers, in which people can dump their rubbish at any time rather than wait for their weekly collection, are designed to keep seagulls and rats away from rotting food which is otherwise left in black bags on doorsteps.

Opponents say the bins would be smelly, attract fly-tipping, take up scarce parking spaces and make streets look unattractive.

Communal bins would be emptied six days a week and require fewer workers than individual collections. The council has promised the extra staffing hours would be deployed elsewhere, perhaps to move recycling collections from twice a month to once a week.

Green Regency Ward Councillor Sven Rufus said: "Many people feel that communal bins are not right for the area and there are certainly legitimate arguments against it.

"We are also concerned about the possible adverse impact on the progress we have made on recycling rates in the city."

A council spokesman refused to confirm the planned locations for any of the bins. He said: "We are keen to put more communal bins in the central area of the city. The ones we already have make the streets cleaner and are very popular with residents.

"We are currently trying to work out where exactly the new bins might go. No streets or areas have been ruled in or out at this stage."

Once the consultation process is complete the scheme will be referred back to the council's environment committee.

Are you willing to lose parking spaces so the large communal bins can be installed? Tell us your thoughts below.