During the past 20 years, the council and development agencies have funded numerous reports looking into Brighton and Hove's economic prospects that have consistently highlighted two important points.

First, among the principle reasons people and companies move into Brighton and Hove are the natural and architectural features of our historic towns.

Second, the primary reasons we attract tourists are the resources of the seafront, with its beach and piers, and the historic architecture of the promenade and adjoining streets.

In economic terms, one of our greatest opportunities for improving the local economy lies in better exploiting the economic potential of tourism.

To ensure we realise these benefits, we should, of course, be thoughtfully developing our "heritage assets" so that, in addition to attracting day visitors to the city, we encourage people to stay for several days.

These "heritage" tourists will stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and in other ways deposit their money into our city's coffers - making us, in turn, more comfortable.

Unfortunately, despite the reports that have been produced, the fact that august bodies such as the International Council of Museums (ICOM) consistently advise locations with significant historical and natural assets to exploit heritage tourism for economic benefit, in Brighton and Hove it seems the administration is almost uniquely oblivious to this prospect.

Instead of conscientiously guarding our heritage and, where necessary, complimenting it with high-quality newbuild projects, we have an appalling record of destroying and degrading our built and natural environments.

Now, in the West Pier's redevelopment, we have a proposal to put ill-designed structures on the seafront promenade that will despoil both the natural and historic man-made environments for generations to come.

It is essential that instead of blighting Brighton and Hove we begin to beautify it.

If we continue to see planning and maintenance decisions based on short-term political expediency, ignorance and ineptitude, we have little to look forward to.

I implore the city's chief executive, his officers and our councillors to better inform themselves of this new city's historical significance and the economic potential of a heritage-focused redevelopment policy.

-Nick Tyson, curator, Regency Town House, Brunswick Square, Hove