Tourists staying at hotels in Brighton could be charged £10 a day to park on the road.

Brighton and Hove City Council has drawn up a proposal to issue parking permits to hotel guests.

But the plan has angered hoteliers who say it could put people off coming to the city and seriously damage the tourist trade.

The hoteliers say the scheme would leave residents competing with visitors for an already limited number of spaces.

Roger Marlowe, chairman of the Brighton and Hove Guest House Association, said the charges would be an outrageous tax on visitors.

The proposal is contained in plans for parking in the Queen's Park and St James's Street area of Kemp Town, one of the next districts outlined for full parking controls.

The plan would introduce controlled parking with residents' permits, voucher parking and pay-and-display bays.

Hundreds of consultation leaflets are being sent out to residents.

Mr Marlowe, who runs Paskins Hotel in Charlotte Street, which is in the centre of the proposed new parking zone, said: "I was so angry when I first saw the plans to charge my guests £10 for parking that I decided not to fill in the response immediately because my views would have been marred by my initial anger.

"Many of the hotels in Kemp Town have spent thousands on improvements to attract the kind of people who come by car and now we have this proposal which has come out of the blue.

"The council must accept not everybody arrives in Brighton and Hove by train or coach. As far as I am concerned this is another money-making exercise for Brighton and Hove City Council. There will be a lot of campaigning against this tax on visitors."

The Queen's Park and St James's Street parking scheme covers the area east of the Old Steine, Brighton, north to Queen's Park and westwards from Sutherland Road in Kemp Town.

Brighton and Hove City Council said hotels in Kemp Town were a special case.

A spokeswoman said: "We must stress these are only proposals at the moment."

Exhibitions to discuss the new scheme are being held at St Mary's Church Hall, Upper St James's Street, on November 27, 28 and 29 and at Hove Town Hall from December 1 to January 12.

A freephone helpline has been set up on 01273 666380. Residents and businesses have until January 12 to submit their views.

Thursday November 20, 2003