Some good may have come after all from the delay in producing plans for the King Alfred Leisure Centre in Hove.

Last year, local residents cheered when a scheme by London-based developers failed. They thought it was out of keeping with the area.

Now some of those same residents have come up with their own ideas for the site - the People's Proposal for the King Alfred.

It contains a large number of sports amenities such as bowling, swimming, racquet courts and a gym.

But it also contains some commercial development, including a hotel and a cafe, although nothing like the scale of that in the previous scheme.

There are two impressive features of the proposal. One is that it does spring from what a fair number of people actually want. The other is that it has been costed by accountants who say it will make a profit.

The city council should look at this scheme carefully in preparing its own development brief.