I WAS shocked to discover last weekend that an urban-style graffiti-strewn mural has been painted – without any consultation with the majority of residents – in the Preston Park Conservation Area.

I am sure that the slogans on the artwork in Preston Drove are heart-felt, but local people have fought long and hard to preserve the special character of this area, and what may be appropriate in certain city-centre locations looks like an eyesore in a residential area of Victorian-era, tree-lined terraces.

Apart from the fact that the normal planning regulations protecting conservation areas seem to have been side-stepped, I was also surprised to learn that council money has been used to fund this mural.

At a time when council employees are being sacked and valuable local services are being lost, I could think of better ways for my council tax to be spent.

If this is the way the council is going to be run for the next four years, then I fear for the future of this city.

Leo Barraclough, Chester Terrace, Brighton