It would be a unique combination of the latest transportation technology working alongside one of the world's oldest electric railways.

David Courtney is hoping his idea for solving transport problems in Brighton and Hove with a futuristic monorail will prove a winner with Brighton and Hove City Council.

Mr Courtney, who started the successful Walk of Fame project at Brighton Marina, has outlined his plans for the £7 million scheme to the authority's new head of transport, Carolyn Dwyer.

The council is studying future transport needs for the city, which has particularly poor east-west connections.

And the initial reaction to Mr Courtney's project seems promising.

Mrs Dwyer said: "We are very interested in Mr Courtney's proposals and will be evaluating how they might fit into the city's wider transport network."

Backers of the project, including marina developers Parkridge, say now is the time to press forward with the monorail, which would be the first of its kind in Britain.

The Brighton Bullet would run between the marina and the Palace Pier, calling in at the new Black Rock leisure scheme, Peter Pan's Playground and the Sea Life Centre on the way.

The Black Rock station would be inside the leisure complex so people could get in and out of carriages in a lobby area.

Mr Courtney said the monorail would run close to or above the present route of Volk's Railway, which dates back to 1883.

Eventually, the project could be extended to cover many parts of the city.

Mr Courtney's plans show it heading west to the redeveloped Brighton Centre, connecting with Churchill Square, the restored West Pier, the new King Alfred centre and the redeveloped Shoreham harbour.

Northwards it could head past the Royal Pavilion to St Peter's Church where the line would split, one arm going up Lewes Road to serve the universities and the other heading up London Road.

There would also be connections to the new Brighton station site.

At the northern end there would be a park and ride site giving people quick and easy access to the city.

Mr Courtney said: "I am convinced the council will come to the conclusion the monorail project is the most suitable, practical and exciting way forward."

So far, the Brighton Monorail and Tram Company has spent more than £100,000 in development costs and is prepared to sink another £159,000 into the project.

The initial phase would be financed privately and not from the public purse.

Mr Courtney said: "It would create a unique attraction incorporating the oldest electric railway in the world working next to the newest means of transport."

He said most people in Britain knew little about monorails but there were several successful examples elsewhere in the world, particularly in America.

They were excellent at carrying large numbers of people quickly and using little space, as well as being quiet and pollution free.

Mr Courtney said: "If we want to be a city, we have to act like one and move into the 21st Century.

"We have a unique destination in the world that is envied by many and we have the opportunity to build on this given the right thinking, support and action."

If the plans do progress, there is little doubt it would be a controversial project.

City council leader Ken Bodfish said: "There seem to be problems with high-cost infrastructure projects.

"Few tram systems are breaking even let alone making money.

"What chance is there with monorails which are even more expensive? The best solutions are more probably guided bus ways.

"Any development of mass transit along the seafront is going to be contentious.

"We've been in regular discussion with the proposers but we want to see the monorail in the context of a mass transit system along the entirety of the seafront."

Opposition Tory leader Brian Oxley, who has studied a system in Seattle, said; "It is something that should be actively considered."

He said the project would have to be studied in detail to see whether it could be adapted to the special needs of Brighton and Hove. It was also essential to preserve the Volk's Railway.

Green convenor Keith Taylor said all forms of public transport solutions should be considered by the council.

He said: "We have all kinds of attractions on the seafront and we should link them up, whether by monorail or guided bus."

Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood said: "The city needs to rethink its east to west axis and how people move from one end of the city to another.

"We simply must get people out of their cars and on to public transport. Experience elsewhere shows a fixed link transportation system has a greater degree of success than buses."

Mr Courtney said he had stressed to the council how flexible a monorail could be.

It could take gradients, be on the ground or above it and its supports were usually slender.

He said: "It's an exciting way to get around."

Details and visuals of monorails around the world can be seen on the web site www.brightonbullet.com