Paying for towers

11:08am Tuesday 11th March 2008

Last year Josh Arghiros, joint managing director of Karis Holdings, stated that the King Alfred project would be built "at no cost to the city"

(Letters, March 23). No doubt this statement influenced many people and possibly some councillors to change their mind from opposing the project to supporting it.

Following the granting of planning permission, the chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council informed me that the council had, up to the end of March 2007, spent £1,090,000 on the project and the developer had paid £200,000, thus the outstanding sum was £890,000.

I asked the chief executive to submit an invoice to the developer for the outstanding amount since he had stated that the project was to be built at no cost to the city. This request was refused.

The council tax increase for the forthcoming year for a Band D property is £45.09. This means that almost 20,000 Band D council tax payers will be paying their increase to Karis Holdings unless the council asks Karis to honour its promise and pay the £890,000.

If your readers consider that Karis should honour its statement that the project will be built at no cost to the city, then the council tax payers should write to their councillors and say so.

• B Bayliss, Mornington Crescent Hove

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