Adam Trimingham is right to extol the merits of the development of the King Alfred site.

There will always be detractors, certainly on anything of this scale, but it's time to bite the bullet and congratulate Brighton and Hove City Council on its foresight with this particular scheme.

Averil Older's objections over "large towers and housing blocks" (Letters, September 12) is meaningless because she, and other opponents to the scheme, must take into consideration that the architect and developers have been urged by the Government's Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (Cabe) to incorporate tall buildings in the design.

Also, Government advisers wanted a more extreme colour scheme for the central sports centre, so perhaps we should all recognise this project, on this particular site, is the finest there's likely to be and stop shooting the messenger.

Not everyone will be satisfied with the final design but the comment by Selma Montford in The Times (September 11) that "we are absolutely overrun with tourists here already", referring to the councils' hope the buildings will become a tourist attraction, is futile and dangerous. Businesses in this city will be grateful for any revenue rise.

We have seen the exhibition and studied the proposals and think that, from time to time, it is important for brave decisions to be made. Now is that time.

-Denise and Stephen Taylor, Hove