A major restructuring of Parking zones has been drawn up for the centre of Brighton.

The plans would end free parking anywhere in the central zone, taking away time-limited bays where there are no charges for short stays.

Brighton and Hove city councillors today announced proposed changes including a clampdown on illegal parking on routes through the city.

The measures include the scrapping of voucher parking and the introduction of business permits for firms that can prove they need vehicles.

Parking limits have come under fire from motorists and the system is facing meltdown with almost 1,000 people now waiting for resident permits.

Drivers with resident permits would no longer be restricted to using just a few streets if the complex jigsaw of eight zones across central Brighton is abolished.

Two new areas covering the north and south of the city centre would be introduced and residents would be allowed to buy permits to park anywhere in the zones.

Permit and pay and display parking restrictions would be extended to Sundays.

The measures are to be put through nine weeks of public consultation. Motorist groups, however, have already protested at some of the plans.

Tradesmen Against Parking Permits, which has campaigned for changes to restrictions, today threatened to bring rush-hour traffic to a standstill as it returned to the streets in a second round of direct action protests in response to the proposals.

Transport councillor Craig Turton said: "We intend to find solutions to on-street parking problems in central Brighton that will meet the needs of residents, businesses and visitors.

"We need to tackle the inconsistencies of voucher parking, free bays, pricing and payment, boundaries of existing zones and the level of enforcement.

"We have a very detailed set of proposals to put before residents and businesses and we will be listening very carefully to what those who live and operate businesses in the area have to say.

"These proposals are expected to substantially reduce the long waiting lists for residents in seven of the eight zones.

"Currently residents with permits can only park in the zone where they live. These changes will give them a far wider choice of residents' parking bays."

The detailed proposals would go before the public during six weeks of informal discussions and a three-week statutory consultation after the New Year.

The proposed changes to the city parking rules are expected to take a year before they come into force. But parking lobby groups representing hundreds of residents and small businesses have already objected to the plans.

Roger McArthur, 56, chairman of Brighton-based Traders Against Parking Persecution, dismissed the changes.

The builder, from Highdown, Southwick, said: "We are not impressed by these proposals at all.

"This is not going to help tradesmen. We have to park up and unload the vehicle and then find somewhere to park before we can even start work.

"TAPP is going to bring the protests back in the New Year and have just met to plan what is going to happen.

"The council does not listen at all. We've been to meeting after meeting and they have not even got back to us."

Steve Percy, 67, is chairman of the People's Parking Protest group in Brighton and believes he has become an expert on the complex rules in central Brighton.

The retired businessman did welcome some elements of the proposals but said: "This is going to be a disaster - the council has got it wrong.

"Bringing the zones together will mean people from across large areas of the city will be able to park outside your house.

"At the last count there were 12,000 parking permits issued for 7,000 bays which leaves 5,000 people every night with nowhere to park.

"I think this is a very bad proposal. The council has not looked into this thoroughly enough to see what effect it will have on people."

Rebecca Reece, of the AA Motoring Trust, said the council must listen to drivers' concerns during the consultation.

She argued the extension of parking restrictions on Sunday and rises in the pay and display charges was a blow for motorists.

She said: "Parking facilities and charges can affect the survival of a city like Brighton.

"If people are put off by charges they will just go elsewhere so it pays to get the balance right.

"Drivers have a bugbear with authorities who introduce charges as a revenue raising exercise so any system will have to be fair.

"Any increases in charges are not going to be welcomed."

Disabled drivers who have blue badges should benefit from the changes with more bays for them being introduced.

Doctors and motorcyclists would also find more parking spaces reserved if the plans are introduced.

The proposals will go before the environment committee next Wednesday and, if approved, the scheme would go to public consultation.

The proposed changes in parking restrictions announced by the council include:

There would be no free parking anywhere in central Brighton
New double yellow line zones would be vigorously enforced to keep city centre traffic moving
The existing eight parking zones in central Brighton, A, B, D, E F, G, K and L, would be replaced with just two, designated south central and north central
South central zone would merge the existing zones B, E, L, and K and the southern sections of zones A and G
North central zone would merge the existing zones D and F and the northern sections of zones A and G
The two zones would have residents' parking bays, pay and display bays and areas for residents and pay and display
Permit and pay and display parking restrictions would be extended to Sunday
City centre firms would be able to apply for new business permits if they could prove their vehicle is essential
Residents would be allowed to buy visitor permits for both the south and north zones
Voucher parking would be scrapped and replaced with pay and display
Doctors, blue badge holders and motorcyclists would have their bays extended