Having read the latest proposed developments concerning the King Alfred Centre, we make this impassioned plea to the developers Karis ING - please stop putting the residents of Hove through such anguish.

Hove boasts arguably the nicest seafront facade in the country, cherished by residents and visitors alike.

The promise of a nice walk by the seafront has encouraged hundreds of thousands to pay Hove a visit and boost its economy.

Why on earth would we want to destroy its character completely?

Opponents of the scheme, insultingly branded "the naysaying and do-nothing brigade", are forever met with the retort: "Well, what exactly do you believe in, then?"

We believe in many things. We believe the fast pace of Brighton and the slower pace of Hove are shining symbols of our city's diversity and allow it to appeal to a wider range of people than any of its competitors.

We believe the current King Alfred plans are hopelessly out of keeping with the surrounding area.

We believe it is ludicrous to expect Hove's roads and infrastructure to cope with the demands which would be created by the Gehry towers.

We believe the financial viability of the project is highly questionable, and could leave residents with yet another unjustified increase in council tax.

We believe the cultural services inspection report was right to suggest the council leadership sometimes gets objectives hopelessly confused, as when a simple project to provide a leisure centre becomes a housing project, then a project to recruit a famous architect and finally a project which involves constantly fighting Hove residents.

We believe projects should be decided in line with the wishes of residents and not just because a famous architect has offered to take part.

To the Labour administration, we say: Keep leisure centres separate from housing issues, and keep the Gehry towers separate from the residents, who do not wish to live near them.

Base your housing strategy around genuinely viable projects which are small enough for a council to manage and concentrate on developing housing which is in keeping with the surroundings.

Above all, don't fight the residents you claim to represent. That's not what democracy should be about.

-Councillors Older, Young, Cobb, Oxley, Peltzer Dunn, Kemble