It appears the main reason for Brighton and Hove City Council's refusal to grant planning permission for the conversion of a former nursing home in Hove to 15 flats is that the developers would not pay cash towards improvement in a park situated opposite the property and that they had not provided affordable accommodation within the development.

On the face of it, therefore, it appears that an unwanted nursing home will not be allowed to be converted into 15 flats in a city where there is a chronic shortage of accommodation of all types.

It appears that, through the planning process, the council not only expects those who build properties to pay for the amenities within the city, it also expects those developers to provide social housing, which is the responsibility of the Government and paid for through our taxes.

The effect of such requirements, if they had been accepted by the developers, would be that the actual cost of those flats available either to let or for sale would rise significantly because of the planning conditions, thus penalising the potential purchasers into having to pay a higher price than they would otherwise have to do.

The council is using the Current Plan, which is on deposit, as its right to refuse such applications.

This is not in accordance with the statutory planning conditions. I hope sincerely the developers will successfully appeal and then bill the council for its intransigent and anti-developer attitude.

This council, through its planning process, thinks nothing about disregarding the statutory Hove Plan in favour of an emerging Brighton and Hove Plan and this should not be allowed.

-Mike Stimpson, Southern Private Landlords' Association, Milner Road, Brighton