A LEADING motoring organisation has condemned plans by Southampton council's transport bosses to sell off three city centre car parks.

The AA's Motoring Trust claims that proposals to close car parks on either side of Amoy Street plus another in nearby Bedford Place could damage trade for local shops.

City bosses are consulting over plans to close the car parks north of the city centre, which would result in the loss of 130 spaces.

Other plans include dropping a scheme to build a car park at James Street South in the southern part of the city with a potential loss of around 30 spaces.

The proposals were drawn up by the then ruling Labour group during this February's controversial budget.

The sites would be sold for development if city bosses give the final go-ahead to the scheme.

A spokesman for the AA Motoring Trust said: "Southampton as a city has a number of growing families and they need to have parking spaces where they want to go to.

"Basically car parks need to be near shops and businesses. The proposal needs to be thought about."

The plans have also been condemned by the deputy leader of the council's Conservative Group, Councillor Royston Smith.

He said: "We would not be happy about losing any car parking spaces. There are few enough car parking spaces already.

"It is just going to make things harder for people who want to use city centre facilities."

Leader of the Labour Group Councillor June Bridle said the programme had been proposed as part of a rationalisation programme for city centre car parking.

She added that the scheme was only being looked at once the new multi-storey 300-space car park at Salisbury Street had been completed.

She said: "Neither car park has closed circuit TV. Amoy Street is tiny. The idea was to look at how parking was being used once Salisbury Street was up and running."

A city council spokesman said: "The city council is consulting on a range of options regarding the future of some of its car parks. This includes the possibility of closing the Amoy Street and Bedford Place car parks which have a total of 130 spaces.

"A second proposal is the withdrawal of a scheme for a car park to be known as the James Street car park at the former James Street Surgery site. Copies of the proposals can be seen in the Civic Centre, and anyone who wants to comment on the plan can do so before October 29.

"No decisions have been taken in relation to these car parks, and the present consultations are the first stage of any process."