I HAVE been reading the letters regarding the plight and sense of despair at residents of Durham in relation to students and accommodation in Durham City and surrounding localities.

Every empty property appears to becoming a student house, pushing the house prices up to way beyond the price of local people.

In October 2018 there will be a further 2,300 students from Queens Campus Stockton studying and living in Durham.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Stuart Corbridge in his wisdom two years ago declared that he wanted Queens Campus at Stockton to be relocated to Durham. No one else wanted this move.

The loss of revenue to Stockton will I estimate to be £2 million to £3 million per year from the loss of students in the town.

Queens Campus was only opened in 1992 and now it is closed. Can anyone ever recall a University Campus ever closing? I can’t recall anywhere in the country where this has happened.

Consequently Durham will be home to another 2,300 students, with expensive accommodation and in short supply where 40 minutes away at Stockton there is ample accommodation, a free bus service to Durham and fantastic buildings and complex not being used.

In its place there is an International Study Centre Foundation college on a 12-month course, which is a franchise of a company operating from Brighton, with 700 students. Is this crazy or what? Why not keep Queens Campus open and operating like it has been for the past 25 years?

Gordon Howes, Stockton on Tees