A CONTROVERSIAL residents' parking scheme was given the go-ahead at a riotous meeting during which police were called to calm irate protesters.

More than 300 people crowded into the council chamber for the biggest and noisiest meeting at Brighton Town Hall in recent years.

Officers had to be drafted in after constant interruptions by angry Kemp Town residents opposing the plans to introduce a residents' parking scheme around the Royal Sussex County Hospital.

Eventually councillors voted 6-3 to approve the scheme but defer implementation for three months while details are reconsidered.

It could include changing which streets are involved, where yellow lines are painted and permit arrangements.

The scheme should have been introduced on October 11 but was put off until November 1. Now it has been put back again to the first week in February.

As councillors arrived for the meeting last night, they were met outside the town hall with a sea of banners and placards as resident made their opinions clear.

Brian Ralfe, from the Campaign for a Better Brighton and Hove, dressed up as a town crier. He read out a proclamation about the parking scheme and shouted: "Oh no. Oh no."

Stormy

Inside Coun John Warmington, who chairs the highways committee, had to call for order more than 20 times during the stormy two-hour meeting.

There were angry shouts and interruptions from residents who claimed the council was not listening to their concerns.

Environment cabinet councillor John Ballance proposed the delay and said a consultative group, which will include residents, business leaders and councillors, would discuss changes to the scheme and include all shades of opinion.

But he turned on the shouting protesters and said angrily: "This is not democracy but intimidation."

Conservative councillors wanted the scheme deferred for six months to see whether it should go ahead at all. They were cheered every time they spoke.

Tory leader Geoffrey Theobald told Coun Ballance: "You must listen to what people are saying. They do not want this scheme."

Conservative councillor

John Sheldon handed in 544 objections to the scheme.

He said: "It would be foolish to go ahead against all this protest."

But local Labour councillor Betsy Brewer said: "The success or failure of a residents' parking scheme lies in its small but significant detail."

She said something needed to be done about the issue of permits, ugly traffic poles and the placing of double yellow lines.

Learn

Coun Brewer told her colleagues: "Look to schemes in other towns and learn from them."

Coun Ballance said: "We are listening to people. We are setting up a monitoring group."

But Coun Theobald replied: "Tonight the scheme has been approved. Only the implementation has been postponed. That is a con."

As they left, residents shouted from the public gallery: "We'll be back."

Police were on hand outside the chamber in case of any trouble but residents left peacefully.

Afterwards Pat Healy, of Walpole Terrace, who works as a telephonist at the Sussex Eye Hospital, said: "We are disappointed.

"We would have

preferred a six-month delay."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.