Lewes Magistrates Court was on the market and three organisations are in competition to redevelop the site, pictured.

Lewes Repertory Theatre wants it for a centre of excellence for film, TV and theatre productions; a local businessman was to convert the site into flats for first-time buyers, community arts studios and shops and property developers want to demolish everything and build a hotel with shops and leisure facilities on the ground floor.

So two internal Lewes bids and one from outside.

The article went on to point out that South Downs National Park Authority planning committee expect to receive £56,500 for something called ‘transport and public space improvements’.

Two questions: Firstly, why should any of these organisations have to meet this demand? I know it’s referred to as ‘planning gain’ but it sounds to me very like ‘Agree to pay or you are out of the competition’.

Secondly, which of the three bidders is most likely to be able to afford to pay this huge sum of money and thus stay in the bidding war – the small, local ones or the large national one? And the winner is…………………?

Eric Waters