Plans for a seafront monorail to run between the Palace Pier and Brighton Marina are progressing.

Mary Mears, the Conservative leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, told a cabinet meeting that the plans will be presented by the end of the year.

Coun Mears told councillors: "We are very keen to look at all forms of transport. There is a work in progress on the monorail and as soon as it's a firmer proposal it will be coming to committee. It's quite exciting. It's another form of transport and an advert for the city."

Speaking after the meeting Coun Mears said that council officers were in discussions with businessman David Courtney and engineering consultants Frazer-Nash.

Labour opposition leader Coun Gill Mitchell said the monorail was not a serious transport scheme.

Original plans for the monorail were rejected by Labour when they ran the council in favour of a bus-based rapid transport scheme (RTS).

Labour has argued the RTS would be cheaper to maintain and build and offer greater flexibility.

Coun Mitchell told The Argus: “They have destroyed their own business case because they voted against the Marina proposals.

“It would mean there are three traffic schemes. We would have the road, the Volks Railway and then the monorail. It would form a huge boundary between Kemp Town and the beach.

“Where these discussions have got to I have no idea.

“The odd thing of course is people will have to presumably drive down right through the city to the seafront to get to it so it does nothing to tackle congestion.”

The RTS scheme would have gone from the Marina, taking in Black Rock, where an ice rink is planned, the Royal Sussex County Hospital, Amex, Brighton train station, King Alfred and on to Shoreham Harbour, which is due for a huge redevelopment.

Coun Mears said the RTS and a park and ride scheme would be looked at again and that if successful the monorail would be extended to Shoreham Harbour.

She said: “There isn't one solution that will work for the city. We have to look at a number of solutions that work together to move us on into the 21st century.”