I read with interest the letter How much is green costing us?' from Mr Lossemore of Betterment Properties (Letters, December 6) concerning the land at Markham and Little Francis.

He quite rightly states the village green' has not lost its right to village green status'. I note however the inverted commas around village green' and the use of the word right with regard to the village green status.

I believe it would be wrong for people to have the impression that the village green exists as such at present as my inquiries and reading of the High Court judgement lead me to question its present status.

Mr Lossemore writes about probable costs incurred by the county council in regard to any appeal of the High Court judgement on this case and quotes a probable £250,000 plus so far, and the same again if Dorset County Council decide to proceed with a further appeal.

This may be true, but I wonder how he came to his figures. I have spoken to two county councillors and have been told that this information is confidential, as was the meeting discussing this issue.

So this figure appears to be the result of Mr Lossemore's calculations. I note that he has not indicated how much this case is costing Betterment, which would be an interesting comparison but of course he is not obliged to divulge this sum.

In addition I also find it interesting that he is complaining about this use of county council money when it is Betterment Properties who have brought this case and the county council which is incurring costs in defending the public interest'.

I appreciate that Betterment Properties want to make the most of their investment and that Mr Lossemore wants to ensure that the county council makes good use of its funds.

However, if Betterment Properties had not brought this case in the first place there would have been no costs at all incurred on the part of the county council or Betterment Properties nor the necessity to incur possible further costs by either party.

Gill Taylor, Nutgrove Ave, Littlesea, Weymouth.

John Lossemore's letter is almost beyond belief. What next, criminals awaiting trial complaining that the police are spending too much of their resources on building a case against them?

Any further legal costs incurred by the council over the status of the fields at Markham and Little Francis are a direct result of Betterment Properties exploiting every last legal loophole.

If council tax goes up to cover these costs, I think we're all well aware who we will have to blame.

G M Palmer, Markham Avenue, Weymouth.

It was Betterment Properties (Weymouth) Ltd who applied to the High Court at the beginning of this year to have the town or village green status removed.

The actual wording of the public notice that appeared in the Echo on January 29, 2007 was Betterment seeks to rectify the register of town or village greens by removing the land from that register'.

So how is it now that Mr. Loosemore can say in his letter the 'village green' has not lost its right to village green status''?

Many ratepayers in the area are only too delighted that the Dorset County Council is standing by its original decision and are prepared to continue with the case.

The green which is, after all, only a comparatively small area of land in Weymouth owned by Betterment Properties, is very well used for recreational purposes, especially for dog walking.

With cuts in services, also mentioned in Mr Loosemore's letter, recreational areas are even more important - we have to think about the future and endeavour to retain its natural beauty.

Lover of Open Spaces, Address supplied.

WHEN I saw the letter from John Lossemore I was annoyed, and then I realised how funny it was.

A property developer trying to make us believe that the town green status is unchanged - so why did Betterment take the county council to the High Court to get it removed?

I wonder if Jim Knight can tell us what the point is of making a piece of land into a town green when the law has no protection over it whatsoever.

It is hypocritical of Mr Lossemore is to cite council expenditure in saving a precious piece of land as a reason not to appeal.

The grazing cattle Betterment said would appear have not arrived; the footpaths are still fenced off despite well over 20 years of use before the wire went up.

Yet we should believe Betterment has no ulterior motive for challenging town green status.

Alex Bardswell, Westhill Road, Wyke Regis.

I would ask Mr Loosemore not to insult our intelligence by suggesting the county council is being irresponsibly prodigal with local taxpayers' money through whatever costs may have been, or may be in future, incurred as a consequence of a court appeal regarding the village green status of Markham and Little Francis fields.

May I remind him, and anyone who might be misled by his comments, that the county council would not have had to spend even a penny had Betterment Properties not commenced proceedings in the High Court by which it sought to remove the land from the register of town or village greens.

Many of us are extremely grateful to the council for being prepared to pursue its public duty.

The authority is right to appeal in court on behalf of those who helped initiate the registration of the village green in the first place - and the many people who continue to delight in the consequent present, and hopefully ongoing, accessibility of this valued open space.

Mrs Joy Piper, Address supplied.