An aquarium's plans for penguin and seal pools has prompted angry protests from animal lovers.

The Brighton Sea Life Centre, one of the busiest tourist attractions on the South Coast, wants permission to build the pools at its entrance.

Animal lovers say such mammals should not be used as entertainment in the 21st Century and say the building is unsuitable for penguins and seals.

The Sea Life Centre, in Marine Parade, has lodged a planning application with Brighton and Hove City Council.

Animal welfare campaigners say the proposal is a retrograde step in animal rights and that the busy and noisy site is unsuitable for any species of animal.

The application is to build two pools outside the main Sea Life Centre building, at the bottom of the steps.

The unused kiosks at the top of the steps would be opened as the ticket office.

To prevent people from the parade above looking in, the application states: "The seal pool will need protection from this public way above. This is proposed as three cable-supported fabric tensile roofs."

But campaigners say the marquee structures would not protect the animals from the noise from the Palace Pier, the busy roundabout nearby and events held in Marine Parade, including the Pride carnival, car rallies and nearby beach events.

Green councillor Georgia Wrighton has called in the application. This means it would have to be decided by the planning committee rather than council officers deciding the outcome.

She said: "This is a backwards step for animals. "It is being done to boost sales at the Sea Life Centre, not for the benefit of the animals.

"Releasing them into the wild should be a priority, but if that is not possible, there are many more suitable locations for these animals."

Sue Baumgardt, spokeswoman for Brighton Animal Action, said: "It's not the place for seals or penguins. There's something instinctive in me that feels that animals for entertainment isn't right."

Residents were involved in protests against the city's controversial dolphinarium in the early Nineties.

It opened in 1969 but, following the protests, closed in the Nineties and the two remaining animals were released into the sea.

Some animal groups are planning protests outside the centre in coming weeks.

A Sea Life Centre spokesman said the centre was unlikely to have penguins at the venue.

It had included an application for permission for a penguin pool in case it wanted one in the future but two seals would be housed in the new facilities if granted permission.

He added: "The new sanctuary will be a very different proposition indeed to the rather dank and dismal sea mammal pools which this attraction housed prior to its purchase by the Sea Life network in 1991.

"There is now a consensus among sea mammal experts across Europe that the release into the wild of captive born seal pups is ecologically unsound.

"This specific facility, as well as being more than adequately spacious for its two residents and including a 265,000 litre pool, will also be naturally themed to a standard surpassing even that of the most recently refurbished pools at the National Seal Sanctuary."

The Sea Life Centre says the welfare of the two seals is paramount.

Protection overhead and perimeter fencing would keep spectators a safe distance from the seals.