Ever since September 1997, when Southern Water's Portobello Sewage Plant was first mooted, Independent councillors on Telscombe Town Council have been opposed to this scheme.

Since that date, Telscombe Town Council has only been under a political party majority for one year. Prior to that date, all councillors supported the Independent course of action and were therefore not in any position to complain about what has taken place.

The question of selling Telscombe Tye has not changed. Nothing further will be done until the inspector's report is published in the autumn.

Any suggestion the new civic centre would benefit from any sale is premature to say the least. The civic centre will be fully completed before the outcome of the inspector's inquiry is known.

This depends, of course, on the Secretary of State upholding recommendations made by the inspector who held the public inquiry, at which I gave evidence on behalf of the East Saltdean Residents' Association. If for any reason the secretary of state does not uphold the inspector's report then we are left with an entirely different set of circumstances to consider.

-G. K. Summerfield, Chairman, East Saltdean Residents Association