A multi-million pound vision for transport in Brighton and Hove has collapsed after councillors rejected a park-and-ride scheme.

Campaigners against a 450-space car park and linked bus service won a victory last night when councillors voted against the scheme at Patcham Court Farm in Brighton.

But the decision means the city council has to rethink its entire vision for the city's transport systems.

The blueprint was planned to ease congestion and promote more environmentally-friendly forms of transport in and around the city.

But hopes of creating a high-speed bus system and interlinked public transport scheme have been dashed after councillors rejected the park-and-ride proposals.

The city council's bid for £19 million Government funding relied on the plans being approved and it now has to go back to the drawing board.

It is unlikely to be granted the money after the Labour-run administration failed to push through what was considered one of the most important features of the transport vision.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, chairwoman of the environment committee, accused opposition councillors, who voted against the scheme, of being narrow-minded and parochial.

She said there was now no hope the city would receive the funding and the future of the rapid transport system had been thrown into jeopardy.

She said: "We would have needed to indicate to the Government by January that we had a viable park-and-ride. The rapid transport system was dependent on it. Because the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have voted it down, they have voted away all that funding. Their votes were against the whole scheme.

"The knock-on effects of this decision are going to be serious. This is a huge problem."

After opposition members of the council's policy and resources committee joined forces to dump the proposals, Labour leader Ken Bodfish told them: "You have voted to deny a future to this city."

The council had been looking at two possible routes for a series of low-emission bendy buses which would carry passengers across the city in minutes stopping only at popular destinations.

Coun Mitchell said she had no idea how much it would cost to develop a new transport plan.

She said: "We cannot let the city clog up and choke on fumes. It would be irresponsible. We will be reconsidering our future and the ways of tackling traffic and congestion in the city."

Labour whip Coun Brian Fitch said: "Those people are killing the city. We can bid again next year if we can come up with a scheme but we will be in a much longer queue. This year we were at the front of the queue. This has done an unbelievable disservice to our city."

The council's transport project review board is due to meet tomorrow to decide what to do next. Proposals for another park-and-ride scheme look unlikely.

Conservative leader Garry Peltzer Dunn, who opposed the scheme, said: "The effect of this upon the area in general and some residents in particular would be extremely adverse. It would be a nonsense to approve a scheme which fails to serve its stated purpose."

Green leader Keith Taylor, whose party also voted against the Patcham scheme, said: "It would be absolute madness to encourage visitors to park their cars right on the urban fringe."

Lib Dem councillor Paul Elgood, who voted against the proposal, described it as a "recipe for chaos" and said: "If this was a proper proposal I would be supporting it but this is wrong."

Coun Mitchell said the council had considered 150 sites before narrowing the options to Braypool or Patcham.

Opponents of the scheme were jubilant.

Julie Roff, of Court Close, who joined a small but noisy demonstration outside Hove Town Hall before the meeting began, said: "Common sense has prevailed."

Accountant Gill Nower, 33, of Vale Avenue, Patcham, said: "Obviously we are overjoyed. It is a great relief they are not going to go ahead with this.

"We have been saying it is wrong for so long and it is nice the councillors have actually taken notice of what the people who live here think."

Sharon Raby, a fashion designer of Vale Avenue, Patcham, said: "For the best part of a year we have lived under the shadow of it. Everyone is happy with the decision."

Patcham councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: "I am over the moon. It's been a worrying time with people's homes threatened but I was always confident that this would be the outcome."

Chris Todd, from Brighton and Hove and Mid Sussex Friends of the Earth, said: "The council has wasted enough time and energy on park-and-ride. We need to create a transport system for the 21st Century."