In reply to your article regarding the Pankhurst Avenue Reservoir Site (The Argus, November 9).

In the Queen's Park and Craven Vale area, we have, over the past few years, lost ten children/youths in drug-related deaths. As a result, the community formed the Queen's Park and Craven Vale Action Group to try to address the problems in the area.

A neighbourhood action plan identified the need for community facilities, there being none in the area. A feasibility study identified the reservoir site as being the most suitable in the area for a community centre as, geographically, it is between the Craven Vale and Queen's Park estate and, furthermore, it is the only available site in the area.

All our members are volunteers who have given their time and effort for the benefit of the community over the past six years. Youth and community development workers have helped the youngsters and trips have been arranged for the children during school holidays.

There have been very successful summer activity programmes and a community festival. Various community groups have formed and meet regularly for the benefit of all sectors of the community.

After extensive consultations in the area, the first request was always for a community centre as it would form a focal point and base for residents where currently there is nothing.

The Brighton and Hove Council Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy 2002-2010 states the council wishes to build strong communities and to "strengthen community participation in all its diversity, develop community facilities and community empowerment across neighbourhoods".

Our members have followed this advice and it is disgraceful that a few councillors, who do not know the area and its problems, can ignore the advice of the council's planning officers and grant permission for low-cost housing to be built on a greenfield site. They have set a precedent which our members feel will cause problems in the future.

The area currently has no infrastructure to cope with the development of 18 homes on this site and the problems of anti-social behaviour will only increase.

More than 600 people signed a petition opposing the granting of outline planning permission and 300 letters of objection were sent to the council, many signed by families, so this is not just a "vociferous few", as stated by Osbourne Homes development director Tony Cox. Our community feels this is a case of developer's profit before the community's needs. The "vociferous few" will be demonstrating against the development on Saturday between 1 and 1.30pm.

-Ann Goatcher, chairperson, Queen's Park & Craven Vale Action Group