Uunderground car parks could help solve parking problems.

Tories have produced a policy document suggesting Brighton and Hove City Council could look at two proposals to help create more space for frustrated motorists in the city.

These are for car parks beneath Hove Lawns and Brunswick Square where parking problems have been acute.

Tory spokesman David Smith said underground car parking in Hove would help relieve congestion in the neighbourhood.

Opposition leader Brian Oxley said it was an idea that would need a feasibility study.

He said: "We have to look at ways of dealing with parking. We do not want to declare war on the car as Labour has done."

He said improved methods of construction meant underground car parks could be designed well and not with ugly grilles as in Regency Square.

Tories also said they would review car parking charges and make the city more shopper-friendly by providing extra parking if they were to take over the council.

However, Labour transport spokesman Simon Battle said the new parking scheme in Brunswick and central Hove was already freeing up more parking spaces.

He said: "The days of having huge underground car parks to deal with congestion are over."

Councillor Battle said the car parks would look unsightly in areas such as Brunswick Square and Hove Lawns.

He said these days many people did not like going into underground car parks. They were also extremely expensive.

Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood said: "This would scar areas such as Brunswick for generations.

"There will be a huge backlash against any proposal to dig up our historic gardens and lawns.

"It's blighted Regency Square for years and would never work in areas such as Adelaide Crescent. They would also find the level of the water table on the seafront would make it unrealistic too. Do they have any idea how much this would cost? It is madness."

John Small, secretary of the Regency Society, said he did not want to support any scheme that encouraged more traffic into the city. However, he said the French city of Lyon had successfully introduced car parking below historic squares, which had taken traffic off the streets.

This had been achieved through a combination of private, local, regional and national government cash.