I AM writing this open letter to all the people of Bishop Auckland. I have witnessed the general demise of our great town over the last few years, apart from the Market Place and its immediate environs, where to my utter astonishment a Spanish Art Gallery is to be opened, alongside the total eyesore that I believe is called the Watchtower.

Could the good people of the ‘Town Team’, the councils and perhaps even Jonathan Ruffer not try and venture away from that end of the town and consider my ‘idea’ – to have a look at the great old Aclet Hotel building which now stands derelict after being gutted with fire on Boxing Day last year.

Instead of making it a general store and hot food takeaway, which is in the offing, would these developers of the bottom end of the town not consider turning the building into, let’s call it The Bishop Auckland Museum. All the people of our great town and indeed visitors could come and not only pop in to visit but maybe donate/lend exhibits to the museum.

I myself have football memorabilia related to the town’s football team going back to the 1800s that I would happy to have placed on display.

Alas, in the real world I know that this will not happen as the appeal of all things Spanish, the aforementioned watch/lookout tower and Kynren will prove too much of a draw.

Michael Rudd, Bishop Auckland