The City of Vancouver is considering a proposal to charge protesters $1,200 to set up tables and banners, according to critics, who call the bylaw bizarre and anti-democratic.

The bylaw would prohibit any structures or objects from being set up on the sidewalks of residential areas. In commercial areas protesters would have to pay a $1,000 deposit and a $200 application fee to put up any structures.

In addition a drawing of any structure would have to be submitted to the city for approval. Any permitted structure would not be allowed on the street overnight and would also be restricted to one metre in depth and and 2.1 metres in height.

The bylaw is part of the city's ongoing efforts to limit the Falun Gong protest on Granville Street, but B.C. Civil Liberties Association director David Eby says it has much broader implications.

"If you want to set up a table with your flyers on it, this bylaw implicates that. You need to pay a $200 deposit. You need to have a traffic plan. You need to get a permit," said Eby.

"If you want to set up a large structure that has a sign on it, like a large banner, you're going to have to get a permit from the city. This is so over-reaching. It's completely bizarre," he said.

City councillor Susan Anton says she is opposed to the motion because of its anti-democratic nature, and critized Mayor Gregor Robertson for introducing the proposal on short notice.

"An extremely controversial report is being slipped in at the last minute without allowing for any meaningful public discussion," said Coun. Anton in a statement released on Wednesday night.

"This has become a regular pattern with the Mayor and his caucus colleagues. Freedom of expression is fundamental to democracy. Any possible restriction on that freedom must be well-understood and properly debated. Two days notice is not enough," she said.

Falun Gong protesters first set up a wooden hut in front of the Consulate in 2001. But in 2009, the city made them take it down, saying it violated by-laws. The protesters say the group's members in China are being oppressed by the Chinese government.