It's official. There is land available for homes for all in Brighton and Hove.

The chief planning officer told a planning inquiry where Brighton and Hove City Council had refused permission for housing on a site within its boundaries that there was no need for permission to be given as there is "an adequate supply of housing land within the city and, consequently, there is no pressure for plots, such as the appeal site, to be considered for housing".

As a private landlord who takes an interest in the housing situation in Brighton and Hove and is well aware of the pressure for housing for people in the city, I was amazed to find a senior officer of the council making such a comment.

It appears the planning department in the council is totally unaware of the crisis in housing in the city and pursues a course totally different from any other department involved in housing.

I challenge the chief executive of Brighton and Hove City Council to justify this statement but have little doubt the answer will not give hope to those seeking homes.

It is about time the council's planning department worked for the benefit of the city by providing a good, efficient service and stopped living in a dream world devoid of reality.

-Mike Stimpson, Milner Road, Brighton