Letter from P Brown, Lowestoft (former Durrington resident)

I NOTE with interest the article and discussion about Durrington Library (Journal, April 28) that a friend recently forwarded to me. This has been a subject of interest to my family for decades.

The land that the library stands on originally belonged to my late grandfather, Mr A Steward - in 1964 he had put the land up for sale for £1,000. The council saw it advertised, and as far as my family are concerned, swindled my grandfather out of his land by means of a compulsory purchase order for half of that amount, namely £500.

He did consult a solicitor at the time, but was informed that there was nothing he could do about it, so he was forced to sell the land.

He was told at the time that the deal involved the 'temporary' building being replaced with a brick structure within a stipulated time frame, I believe it was about five years. I wrote about this back in June 2005 after a visit to the area, my letter being published in the Journal, my family now live in East Anglia.

I was four-years-old when the land was sold, I am now nearing retirement age myself, if the council had honoured the original agreement all those years ago, the current discussions would not be necessary. 

I have revisited Durrington on many occasions over the years, I am amazed at the developments that have taken place, and how it has grown, except of course, for the one thing that has never changed, that 'temporary' library.