In an article in the Architects Journal (June 16 2005), Frank Gehry said he was "shocked" when Sir Richard Rogers told him, regarding the King Alfred development, "You can't build that there".

In a subsequent article in The Times (September 11, 2005), Mr Gehry said he didn't want to build high but was being forced into it by Government policy: "From the beginning, I thought higher buildings were out of scale with the community".

Does one get a sinking feeling reading this?

Apart from ever-increasing public distaste for the development, the big-name designer of this project isn't so keen on it himself.

So many doubts, such obvious uncertainty and a lack of enthusiasm on the part of the plan's creator bodes badly for the success of this scheme.

It sounds as if this whole project should be called in for a thorough re-think.

This should happen before it's too late and Hove is saddled with yet another gigantic mistake like the disastrous high-rise estates of 40 years ago.

-C Wunderman, Hove