Watch out world – Brighton and Hove is on the rise. Literally.

After years of stalling, things are finally on the move in our city.

Developers are queuing up to invest here, long-postponed schemes are finally taking off and house prices – well, since I started writing this piece they’ve already gone up by another couple of percentage points.

If you were anywhere else in the country then such change would be greeted with enthusiastic open arms and enthusiasm.

There are places in some parts of the country that would literally hand developers the keys to the town hall if they came forward looking to bring a plot that’s been standing empty for 20 years back into use.

Yet, in Brighton, any change to the landscape whatsoever is always greeted with groans and moans.

For a very forward-looking place it’s a reaction that always leaves me scratching my head in a way that makes me look as though I’m dealing with an infestation.

It’s not a good look.

In just a few months, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to catch a glimpse of this odd combination – a liberal take on nimbyism coated with a heavy dose of conservationism.

I say that as the city will soon have a series of cranes dominating the skylines.

Demolition work on the former fruit and veg market in Circus Street has started already.

And further north, plans are being finalised for Preston Barracks while Sussex University will be looking to bring the diggers in to start on its masterplan.

But it’s further west that eyes will be focused.

In a matter of weeks, the preferred bidder for the redevelopment of the King Alfred will be announced.

The site, which was a former naval training area, is named after the great Saxon leader who united England.

Yet, it’s somewhat ironic that plans to redevelop this have divided the community for 40 years.

Redevelopment of the area is much needed and has taken far too long to bring forward.

In the mid 2000s the blueprint with the Gehry towers was approved by the council – despite it tearing much of the local community and the ruling Labour administration apart.

And then, thanks to the recession, the whole thing collapsed in 2008. It took until 2012 for the impetus to return and thoughts about revamping the site to come forward.

Afterwards, a project board was established, with two preferred bidders being chosen late last year. Detailed plans are now being drawn up and should be revealed soon (at least so I’m told).

But the whole process has been shrouded in much secrecy – so much in fact that those councillors on the project board have been kept in the dark around exactly what each of the proposals will include.

All we know is that the two developers are Bouygues Development and Crest Nicholson Regeneration in partnership with a local charity, the Starr Trust.

The first has a long track record of delivering on complex sites, with the Mary Rose building, central Chelmsford and a sports centre in Singapore on its CV.

The second is more of a home builder, with the backing of a local charity which has no background in development but believes it knows what local people want. Beyond that, we, the wider public, know no more.

And we won’t until a preferred bidder is selected by unelected officers and put forward before councillors as the recommended option.

Eager to discover more, I had a brief chat with a couple of board members the other week - and was shocked to find out they did not know much more than this.

One said the plans would be “bold but not big” - and assured me they would be very exciting.

But when pushed if they’d seen the plans, the answer was no - adding they were very much under lock and key in the town hall offices.

All of which begs the questions, Just how can the public be assured it is what they want if no one knows what’s coming forward?

Unlike many, I do have trust in those in local government, both elected and unelected – at least when it comes to knowing what’s right for our city.

But the wider public do not share this optimism and will need winning over before they take any new development to heart. You don’t do this by keeping schtum.

Yes, our city is full of a funny bunch of nimbys. But if the city is to continue to rise then it has to be done with their support, rather than bulldozing through a predicted wall of opposition.

The Argus: Fundraising for Children in Need took place in Peacehaven

I remember a while back reading in these very pages that Brighton and Hove was the charitable capital of the country.

Apparently, those living on the South Coast give more money per head to groups than anywhere else in the UK.

So it was a surprise then that it was only on Friday morning that I found out that Children in Need was happening that very evening.

I’d seen nothing about any events going on locally nor was anyone asking me for cash.

If it wasn’t for the headline about Terry Wogan being absent due to illness then I would have missed it completely.

Imagine how much they could raise if they actually advertised it properly.