when they say "developers want to spend millions of pounds to revitalise Shoreham" (The Argus, May 25 and Jan 19).

First things first. Developers want to make millions, not spend them, and they have absolutely no interest in the area other than that.

They are not generous benefactors on a charitable mission to make Shoreham into the "new Chelsea". The association of our town with Chelsea just means they can charge even more for their new properties.

Take a look at the east end of Shoreham beach, where new architectural monstrosities already blight the riverside. I would hardly call those part of a renaissance.

The extra traffic generated by new developments would lead to a nightmare.

It already takes more than 20 minutes just to get off Shoreham Beach peninsular most mornings if you catch it at the wrong time.

But traffic jams are no longer confined to morning and evening peak times. If a few people use the two pelican crossings in the High Street at the same time, gridlock soon takes hold - and when another accident shuts the A27, it's even worse.

And what about water? Worsening drought conditions are forecast throughout our region and hosepipe bans are already in place. But the Government insists we continue to concrete over the south of England and build thousands more houses which will all require water, electricity, gas, and transport.

The only ones to benefit would be developers, utility suppliers and whoever collects the taxes - certainly not current residents.

"Winking eye" bridge? Nudge, nudge, wink, wink, say no more. Please. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Extra lighting would not go amiss but, otherwise, leave our footbridge be. Who would pay for it, anyway? Any such money would be better spent on extra sports facilities for the local youth.

The best thing about Shoreham, though, is nothing to do with building or development. It's our fantastic natural location - but the more it's built on, the less fantastic it will be. Eventually, the burgeoning population will have destroyed these natural surroundings but, by then, the developers will be long gone, "revitalising" somewhere else with their high-blown fancy campaigns to make money.

Don't be bought by marketing strategies. We already have something worth looking after here. Resist the urge to make short-term benefit out of long-term misery.

-Andy Ramus, Shoreham Beach, Shoreham