Three men who are working on a bar and restaurant complex next to Carlisle’s crumbling Central Plaza Hotel say they will still go ahead with their plans - even though they won’t be able to open next month. Our readers had their say on the News & Star website and Facebook page.

I’m pleased Dan, Jack and Matty are being so positive. I wish them the best of luck.

Eileen Mellor

Hope you boys find some resolution and get up and running. It’s fantastic work fetching that old building back into use.

Richard Lee Cooper

Feel gutted for you through no fault of your own.

Jackie Sharp

Hope you get open and make a go of it. This crumbling eyesore is costing people dearly.

Julie Hale

What a shame young lads doing good then this happens something needs done about that building.

Joan Kilgour

Feel bad for you hope all goes well and you can still open.

Gillian Murray

I have no doubt that Carlisle Council will of course be compensating the affected businesses by means of business rate waiver and compensation for loss of earnings. Shocking.

Eric Mitchell

The council will just sit on their hands being reactive rather than proactive, should be council leader and chief exec having this on top of agenda, instead pass buck to heritage organisations.

Barry Cooper

When I got closed last year on the viaduct with this, I got no compensation from Carlisle City Council, no business rate relief, we had prevention of access and business interruption on our insurance policy but they don’t pay us because the way they closed the road voids insurance. Carlisle City Council won’t help us in anyway!

Louise Obrien

Flabbergasted that in today’s economy the council would let businesses close just to accommodate a crumbling, dangerous and empty building. Time it was knocked down.

Chris Forbes

The council are 100% to blame for this fiasco. They have closed their eyes to the problem and it was never going to go away. I’m very surprised they have acted now to be honest, that building was going to be the death of someone: motorists, pedestrians, packed buses regularly passed by whilst it is in that dangerous state and, until now, they did nothing. They have dodged a bullet, no question.

Keith Ross

A message to the councillors at Carlisle, of all persuasions: Stop the blame game and get this unsafe eyesore demolished.

Then you can cat fight as to who has the responsibility for its past incompetence!

This situation is ruining business, causing enormous disruption and putting lives in danger in and around this mess.

Politicians at present leave a nasty smell behind every job they are involved in.

Delbert Boomdocker

I have a simple message for Ruth Alcroft. Shut up. The Government does not own The Crown Estate. The property is escheat, around 7,000 properties around the country are currently listed as being subject to escheat and to quote the Crown Estate “The total cost of all potential past, present and future liabilities connected to such properties, of which there are many, would be enormous”.

Yes it’s a shambles which has been allowed to carry on far too long; but to try and score political points is out of order. If the potential Labour MP cares about Carlisle she should get together with politicians of all flavours be working together on a solution not playing a blame game which has allowed this farce to drag on so long.

Carlisle john