Unfortunately, Tom Shankly (Letters, December 17), like many others (including the majority of members of Brighton and Hove City Council's planning committee), has missed the point.

Brighton Urban Design and Development (Budd) is an amazing cross-section of local people who have voluntarily contributed their time and energy because they are concerned about development in our city.

The Brighton station site, not Sainsbury's, has been our main focus because it is such a vitally important site. We have achieved a great deal.

In 1999, Budd led calls for the council to refuse permission for an awful Sainsbury's-led development of the station site. We supported the council when, backed by massive public concern, it did refuse permission.

Following this decision, Budd encouraged and participated in public consultation on what should happen to the site. The fact that the major findings of this consultation have been ignored speaks volumes.

Nevertheless, Budd has helped to represent the voice of very many local people in the planning process for development of the site. We have encouraged active citizenship by facilitating the participation of local people in decisions that affect the city in which we live.

To my mind, this is the essence of what mature political action should be. The sad fact is we have been continually mis-represented as "anti-supermarket campaigners" and opposing development of the site per se.

This makes it very much easier for our detractors to dismiss our point of view and ignore the sincere concerns many people have raised. The other sad fact is that the NEC development will now probably go ahead.

This is despite the fact the proposal ignores public consultation, goes against the council's own policies and, consequently, is likely to be extremely damaging to the local economy, environment and communities.

Budd supports regeneration of the station site but not at any cost. I am extremely proud of Budd's achievements and am honoured to work alongside so many committed and energetic local people. If standing up and saying that sustainability, the environment, the future of our city and striving for development that makes sense is "immature student politics", I am happy to not grow up.

-Ben Messer, Budd, Brighton