Business leader's letter to councillors

Some of the leading names in business in the city have written to councillors expressing their fears for the future of Brighton and Hove if Gehry's latest plans do not win approval.

Among those to sign the letter from Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership are Roger French, managing director of Brighton Bus and Coach Company, Christine D'Cruz, director of commerce at EDF Energy, and Mark Beacham, regional operations manager for National Car Parks.

The letter was sent on behalf of the hundreds of city businesses and traders in the partnership.

The policy and resources committee, made up of 15 councillors, will decide on October 5, 2006 if the the most recent proposals for the devlopment are to be given the go ahead. The committe must give its consent on behalf of the council as landowners before the developer can move on to the planning stage.

Business leaders believe a vote against the scheme could spell the end of future projects, including the planned new Brighton Centre, and leave the city's business reputation in tatters.

They believe backing such schemes is crucial to luring investors to the city.

The letter

We the undersigned strongly believe that the King Alfred development offers unparalleled community and economic benefits to the city. We are disappointed and concerned to read the article in Tuesday’s edition of The Argus reporting that decisions that have previously been approved by the council’s policy and resources committee (P&R) regarding the development are now in doubt.

Approval for some 754 homes on the site, 275 of which will be much-needed affordable homes for key workers in the city, was given at P&R over a year ago. And yet the convenor of the Green Party appears to be removing his support for this decision despite stating at a P&R meeting on September 12, 2005, that the Green councillors supported the proposed development and believed it was “one to be proud of and one that would enhance the city of Brighton and Hove”.

The affordable homes, valued in excess of £32 million, will be targeted at key worker residents and people on the waiting list with a local connection to the city – people’s sons and daughters brought up in Brighton and Hove.

They are workers who are struggling to gain a foothold in either the freehold or rental property market and whose service to our residents is unquestioned and vital.

The homes and sports centre in question will be among the highest ecologically sustainable developments in the entire country and it is baffling that the Green Party is not fully supportive of such a development. All the more so since they were supportive a short time ago.

It is also baffling that the party is not the champion of a scheme that, in addition to £32 million of affordable housing, would also deliver a £48 million community resource in the form of the brand new state-of-the-art sports centre and all on a site that is worth just £11 million.

The Argus article also reported that the Conservative Party continues to be opposed despite benefits that are valued at a staggering £69 million more than the total value of the land, quite apart from the anticipated £32 million per annum that the scheme will bring into the local Hove economy via the 660,000 anticipated visitors to the development which would support 660 full-time jobs.

How much would Hove benefit from a potential 660,000 visitors worth £32 million just a stone’s throw from its town centre. The economic value in jobs, homes and tourism that this offers the city must be recognised by all members of the P&R committee.

Future generations will not thank any politician that squanders this golden opportunity for Brighton and Hove that our competitor towns would welcome with open arms. What does this say to the rest of the country and the world about Brighton and Hove?

• Mark Beacham, Jonathan Ericson, Simon Beales, Trevor Freeman, Paul Bonnett, Roger French, Clifford Conway, Colin Monk, Christine D’Cruz, Ann Smith.