I COULD not help feeling a certain amount of schadenfreude after reading that Planning Inspector Harold Stephens had slammed the County Durham Plan (Echo, Feb 19).

Durham County Council has wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on this white elephant. The other political parties, individuals (including myself) and community groups have been warning the council about this likely outcome but, as usual, it did not take the slightest notice, believing it knew better than everyone else.

Now the councillors have egg all over their faces and they have no one to blame but themselves.

Martin Jones, Spennymoor.