I will fight them

I would like to thank all who have responded and offered help in canvassing.

I have been assured recruiting new members is no hard task, such is the opposition to the scheme.

I have now been prompted to turn my attention to controversial proposals for tall buildings in Brighton, although hitherto, as a former borough planning officer of Brighton, I have thought it prudent not to get involved in planning matters there.

However, I have been retired 20 years and my local authority no longer exists.

Accordingly, I now express my support for residents and societies who have objected to the 16-storey tower on the former Endeavour Garage site in Preston Road and the eight-storey block at the junction of North Road and Cheltenham Place in the North Laine conservation area.

With regard to the Preston Road tower, I challenge the developer's claim that there would be no detrimental effect on the nearby conservation area.

The viewpoint for the photomontage in your article is just opposite the Radynden Gate, the southern entrance to our lovely Preston Park, which is a vital part of the Preston conservation area.

The view southward from there to the viaduct is a nice balance of Victorian and Edwardian building.

The proposed tower would be utterly out of scale. The architect's claim that the design links the building to the city's history and architectural features is no more than commercial wishful thinking.

As with the King Alfred scheme, I am also concerned about the social housing and the idea of a "car club" as a solution to the parking problem. And has the developer been made aware there was a Roman villa nearby?

North Laine depends upon its small buildings for its bohemian character.

I believe that if this, or any of the other tall buildings, are permitted, then the floodgates would open and North Laine would once again be a target for the developers.

-Ken Fines, Hove