The residents around the old Hastings College site in Archery Road, are mustering support, raising money and getting ready to kick up an almighty stink. What is going on?

In the middle of St Leonard's is Hastings College – up a winding road behind the Royal Victoria Hotel. When you admire the surrounding architecture it seems staggering that such a building was allowed to be built in the middle of such an important area. It is now classified as a conservation area, and the old Hastings College site is to be re-developed.

At a meeting of residents to consider the planning proposals currently being put forward, on Sunday afternoon one of the speakers referred to this development as "an opportunity to correct mistakes of before." How right she was. This site could now be used to build residential accommodation wholly in keeping with the remarkable architecture in the surround area. This is what the residents want. This is what they are rightly fighting for.

The current proposal however is at best bland, at worst wholly inappropriate. The original plans of 2006 proposed 125 units per hectare. The current proposals have upped that density to 74 per hectare. This is likely to be 500 new residents - a huge addition to the current community. This number of new homes can't be achieved while adhering to the unique character of the area.

This must be a sensitive development, in keeping with the area and manageable in density. The meeting was packed, heated and very informative. The committee of STAG (Save the Archery Ground) put together an excellent presentation of the history of the site, the proposals in hand, and the possible routes for objection. They have a website, that pulls no punches on what could happen if the current proposal goes through, www.savethearcheryground.org.

I will be supporting them and helping to make sure that we get a new plan that is acceptable to the residents. This is an opportunity for something new and good for the area. As the presenter said, "to correct the mistakes of before'". Let's not make our own, a generation later.