Parents embroiled in a bitter row over school places have launched a campaign to get a new secondary built.

The campaigners said a new school somewhere in east Brighton or central Hove was the only way to heal the deep rifts that have developed over school admissions.

The idea has been backed by Trevor Allen, headteacher at Dorothy Stringer School, who said without a new site Brighton and Hove would face a constant struggle to provide places.

The calls came ahead of a council committee meeting today to decide whether plans to use catchment areas to allocate places at popular schools would go ahead.

Tracey-Ann Ross, from Schools 4 Communities, which has fought against the proposals, said: "After this is all over, no matter which way it goes, we need to heal these rifts in the city and the only thing that can do that is a new school."

Chris Bourne, from the Support The SAR (secondary admissions review) group, said: "A new school is definitely something 99 per cent of people in the city think is required. Every year the city population is growing with more people moving in. The schools will not be able to handle the numbers.

"Whatever happens, we need a solution now because a new school would take several years to come on-stream."

Brighton and Hove's schools have been operating at close to capacity since the closure of Comart School in Wilson Avenue, Whitehawk, in 2005.

Larger than average intakes expected in 2008 and 2009 will stretch the nine secondaries to their limits and major residential developments in several parts of the city will cause more problems in the next few years.

Two schools in particular, Dorothy Stringer and Varndean, Balfour Road, are expected to struggle to accommodate all the children in their proposed catchment area, although Brighton and Hove City Council has said it will ensure there are enough places.

Parents have called for Comart to be reopened, possibly as a satellite of Varndean, but the site is now leased to City College Brighton and Hove, which has development plans for it.

Brighton General Hospital in Freshfield Road and allotments in Tenantry Down have been suggested as possible school sites by campaigners.

Mrs Ross said: "Lots of brownfield sites are being given over for housing when we need infrastructure. Why have they not considered a school?"

Gil Sweetenham, city council assistant director for education, said there were plans to expand the capacity of schools but none to build a new one.

He said the council would only attract Government funding for a new school if it could prove it needed one.

Mr Sweetenham said: "There are not enough children and although the population looks likely to rise, we can't use speculative figures to win funding."

The children, families and schools committee was to vote on the catchment issue at Brighton Town Hall today at 5pm.