BUY a flat and get a free bike. That will be the deal for people who snap up one of more than 60 new flats in Southampton city centre.

Developers are offering the sweetener because there will be no car parking spaces on the site. Instead, there will be spaces for each resident to park their bicycles.

The pioneering project - the first of its kind in the area - will see new owners at a block in St Mary Street each given a bicycle with their flats.

They will also have the use of a fleet of six electrically powered cycles as part of an initiative which has already won plaudits from green campaign group Transport 2000.

The electric cycles will be made available for residents under a booking system which will be operated by the managing agents at the flats.

Work is likely to begin this summer on the development which is due to be completed in summer 2005.

City highways bosses and developers Cindan Land Ltd will be monitoring the scheme's success on cutting down congestion and pollution.

The flats are likely to sell for about £100,000.

The new four-storey block of 63 one-bedroom apartments will be built above former shops in St Mary Street opposite the city's Bellway housing development.

Developers are also being forced to provide public open space and a children's play area as part of the multi-million pound development.

Roger Hurt, of Cindan Land Ltd, said: "We have conducted quite a bit of research into electric vehicles and we thought this was the way to go. There is no car parking available at the site but this is an environmentally friendly approach which will help the government meet its pollution targets."

Transport 2000 Steve Hounsham spokesman said: "This is a forward thinking and, it has to be said, a brave move.

"We would certainly applaud efforts by developers to encourage people to use sustainable transport and there will be a lot of people out there who will be impressed with this scheme.

"People do want to escape from the stranglehold of the car and this scheme is obviously very innovative and exciting.

"It deserves a lot of attention and we would certainly like to see a lot more pro-active schemes of this kind to get people back on two wheels instead of four."

The chairman of Southampton City Council's planning and rights of way committee Councillor John Slade said: "I am glad that companies are now trying to be more innovative in respect of the development of land in the city. We will watch this scheme with interest to see if it is successful."