IT would be an absolute tragedy if Darlington Borough Council were to close Crown Street Library building. It will be another blow to preserving the heritage of the borough which the building represents.

The Crown Street building defines us as a civilised society reaching out to better themselves.

The Pease family recognised this when they gave this gift to the people of Darlington.

More worrying is the statement that Councillor Nick Wallis has made in your newspaper: “Public buildings rarely last more than 150 years and we have taken the library at Crown Street as far as we can go. It no longer meets a need as it used to.”

That is nonsense.

There are many public buildings which are more than 150 years old which still fulfil their functions. The Guildhall in York was built in the 15th Century and is still used for council meetings. Durham Town Hall dates back to the 14th Century and is still used for events.

Is he suggesting that public buildings should be boarded up and sold off after 150 years of service?

Crown Street Library houses the adults and children’s lending library, the reference library, the local studies centre and the art gallery – all under one roof. The council has not said where these services, other than the lending library, will go if the library is relocated to the Dolphin Centre.

That is no way to make public policy.

There has to be certainty where all the services will go. Crown Street Library does meet the needs of the people of Darlington which has been clearly expressed in the recent public consultations by the council and the Friends of the Library.

I am therefore asking the members of Darlington Borough Council to give full consideration to keeping all the library services on at Crown Street – the only building fit for that purpose.

Alan Macnab, Darlington