A pioneering eco village has been given the green light.

Brighton and Hove City Council has granted planning permission for an Earthship development next to Brighton Marina.

The sustainable settlement of 16 homes will be the first residential scheme of its kind in Britain.

The village, dubbed The Lizard because it will be able to heat and cool itself, will follow in the footsteps of the prototype community centre in Brighton's Stanmer Park.

Daren Howarth, the codirector of Biotecture, the company behind the marina plans, said he was delighted by the planning decision.

The next step will be to raise the finances needed and bid for the land between Marine Drive and The Cliff, which is owned by the city council.

Mr Howarth, who lives in an environmentally friendly home in Brighton with its own wind turbine, said: "What excites me is it should send a clear message.

"All councils should be looking at plans like this which are bold and challenging. "I hope it sets a precedent, not for thousands of Earthships but for hundreds of things in Brighton that deal with sustainability and with the carbon footprint of our current lifestyles.

"Earthships aren't about eco-building. They are about a lifestyle that is future-orientated and worth living."

He thanked everyone who has helped, including those who took part in the feasibility study and council officers for their patience.

He said: "It is all credit to a huge bunch of people and I think it is all credit to Brighton. They really went out on a limb in 2002 with the prototype."

The south-facing homes would be built from recycled materials, including tens of thousands of tyres filled with earth.

They would collect and store power from the sun and wind and make use of rainwater. Sewage would be partially treated on-site, although it would still go into the mains.

Six homes would be designated affordable housing, the others are likely to cost £500,000 each.

Councillor Ken Norman, a member of the planning sub-committee, said: "It is a fantastic idea. I hope this is the first of several we can fit into Brighton and Hove somewhere."

People living nearby opposed the application to build on "virgin" downland.

Victor Mower, of The Cliff, said: "I understand the concept and I admire the concept. However, it is the wrong site and the wrong location for this sort of development."

Councillor Bob Carden said it was a waste of a large plot of land to build just 16 homes, when there were families desperate for housing in the city.

Councillor Delia Forester said: "It will be an exhibition piece. Although I am not 100 per cent happy, we have got to start somewhere and it is great we are starting in Brighton."

Councillor Sue Paskins said: "I am delighted we are going to have this development in Brighton. I agree it isn't a way to solve a housing crisis but it is a nice thing to have.

"We have to say, it is a one-off, we are not going to fill the town with them because we don't have a vast amount of space.

"Over the past year, without any heating, the lowest temperature in (the Earthship) in Stanmer Park was 12C and the highest 19C. To have a building that can sit there in this sort of climate and do that is quite commendable."