I was recently shocked to learn The Quadrant bar is to close shortly. It is one of Brighton's most welcoming, unpretentious watering holes, with a striking wooden Victorian interior.

This closure must not go unchallenged.

I am not a historian but I would bet this bar has been around since the beginning of the railways, and, therefore, modern Brighton.

It would be a crying shame to see it transformed into another shop, office or restaurant when the city is already well served by, if not overflowing with, such establishments.

Surely the developers can find it in their hearts to allow the bar to stay on, even if only the ground floor, where the interior architecture would be preserved for future generations?

The free-house ethos, which this popular bar operates under, may not be the most fashionable way to run a drinking establishment but it gets my vote every time.

Many others agree. They prefer not to sit in the arctic air-conditioned tourist traps that have sprung up all over the city in recent years.

The Quadrant is also one of the few city-centre bars that neither has, nor needs, a bouncer on the door.

I am sure the ambitions of the developers and the wishes of the customers and staff of this delightful traditional pub can sit together.

-Alex Baxter, Stanford Avenue, Brighton