BUS passengers say plans to change routes are “badly thought out” and will cause chaos.

Brighton and Hove City Council wants to build a pedestrian area between Castle Square and the Old Steine and Pavilion Gardens, which will result in the loss of two busy bus stops.

The move is part of the Valley Gardens improvement project.

The council is hosting consultation sessions for the next two weeks at Hove Town Hall and further meetings from November 1 to 21 in the Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton, for the public to share their thoughts.

Andrew Boags, chairman of Brighton Area Buswatch, a group that focuses on the welfare of bus users in the city said the plans were “bonkers”. Mr Boags said: “We are not at all happy with it. We feel the buses have been neglected in this plan and the new cycle lanes don’t link up properly.”

He said cyclists will have to stop at the new “Palace Junction” which will be replacing the pier roundabout if the scheme goes ahead.

He said: “This new junction will be dangerous for the cyclists to stop at and won’t help the traffic flow at all.

“On the plans it actually shows the new cycle lane going straight through a tree. To me this shows that it is just a badly thought out plan. It’s bonkers.”

The new plans aim to develop a pedestrian area around the current Old Steine bus stops D and F that are next to the Pavilion Gardens.

Mr Boags said: “I find it extraordinary they want to leave the bus stops in the middle of the newly planned pedestrian area, unused. What’s more is they aren’t going to provide decent replacements.“It’s going to be chaos if they go ahead.”

Mr Boags said he supports the idea of more pedestrian space and green areas but the lack of consideration for the buses in the new plans means waiting times will be a lot worse.

Peter Elvidge, of Brighton Area Buswatch, said the only bus stops that remained in the area under the new scheme were small and impractical.

He said: “They have just put a couple at the bottom of North Street which don’t even look big enough.”

Mr Elvidge said it would be more appropriate to run a consultation session on a scheme that actually worked.

Martin Harris, managing director of Brighton and Hove buses said: “We are working closely with the city council. As the designs of the Valley Gardens [from Old Steine to Palace Pier] move towards finalisation, to ensure they adequately reflect the needs of bus passengers we must ensure there are sufficient bus stops along the route and enough space for passengers to board buses.”

The council said its new plan was to improve transport and travel, air quality, and create new public spaces.

Councillor Gill Mitchell, said: “We are inviting people to give their views and ideas for the area and want as many people as possible to take part in the consultation.

“It is important residents have their say on the next phase of the Valley Gardens scheme.”