A £900,000 experiment which would have turned a busy neighbourhood into a haven for pedestrians and cyclists has been dropped.

Plans for Brighton and Hove's first Home Zone in the Hanover area of Brighton, were in the city council's provisional transport plan last year.

But they were not in the final version, agreed by councillors last week.

Home Zones, widely used in Europe, have been established across the UK in recent years.

They use landscaping to slow and discourage traffic in residential roads and impose speed limits as low as ten miles an hour to open streets for social use.

Features include traffic calming, shared surfaces, widened footpaths, trees, benches and play areas.

In Sussex there are two zones. One is on the Town Farm estate in Hailsham and the other in the Pevensey area of Bognor.

The Bognor zone, established last year, has been credited with reducing accidents in the area.

In 2003, Brighton and Hove City Council agreed to try one in Ewart Street, Grove Street, Cobden Road and Hampden Road in the Hanover area after requests from residents.

But a consultation found residents were divided over the scheme with about half in support and half opposed because they feared losing parking spaces.

Green party convenor Keith Taylor said: "The decision to drop the Home Zone was taken behind closed doors without consultation.

"I know several other areas which are crying out for Home Zones - the door has now been slammed shut.

"This is wrong and the Greens will reverse this when we are able."

Bill Randall, Green party councillor for the Hanover and Elm Grove ward, called for residents to be given the final say in a referendum.

Joyce Edmond-Smith, Labour councillor for the same ward, vowed to fight to ensure the £900,000 was spent improving the environment in Hanover, whether or not the Home Zone went ahead.

Environment councillor Gill Mitchell said the Hanover zone had not been ruled out. She insisted money could still be found from within the £30 million transport budget to fund a scheme - if it was supported by residents.

She said: "We're not going to ring-fence £1 million for a scheme which doesn't have the broad consensus it should have.

"Experience across the country has shown it is very difficult to impose Home Zones on established residential areas.

"It's much easier to build them in new developments."