WHILE I appreciate Ben Ord's concerns about the Festival Walk development (HAS, May 29) I do not agree with his understanding of the situation for the following reasons:
1. The Royal Bank of Scotland repossessed the site when the previous owner got into financial difficulties;
2. RBS still hold the site and the only organisation having the power to dispose of it is the bank;
3. The site is not Durham County Council's responsibility.
There are two major hurdles facing RBS - can it find a buyer prepared to pay for the site a sum of money sufficient to discharged the money owed ? In addition there are I understand difficulties with some of the titles to the shops because all of the freeholds are not owned by a common landlord.
The way forward would be for Durham County Council to raise money to purchase the site carry out the appropriate demolition and then offer the site to a developer.
Tim Sutton, Spennymoor
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here