I REFER to the recent letter by David H Wells in respect of the Imax building and the money spent by the council (letters 27 January) in acquiring the freehold of the building.

Mr Wells has pointed out that ‘no reputable planner would endorse paying two million pounds for four meters of air’.

May I further point out that in the process of gaining planning permission and consent in the UK, that builders and developers have to be very careful that they do not transgress beyond the boundaries of what their planning consent allows them to build.

Many people have been ordered (Demolition Orders by Councils) to tear down buildings, which have breached their original planning consent. Some unfortunates have had to demolish their buildings because they have built them five to ten millimetres to the left, right or above the stipulated consent, which of course is a very costly mistake.

As for the Imax, it is a folly, which has brought derision upon the town of Bournemouth for years. It should be demolished sooner rather than later.

STEVE HAMILTON, Bath Road Bournemouth