DURHAM'S Freemen have rejected claims that members will benefit financially from the temporary use of The Sands as a car park.

The Freemen, whose roots lie in the medieval craft guilds, have rights of grazing, or herbage, over the Durham City Council-owned recreation land by the River Wear.

They have agreed that part of the site can be used for parking for two years while the nearby Walkergate car park is redeveloped.

The parking scheme, which has planning permission, is the subject of a public inquiry, which started yesterday, because it involves common land.

The inquiry heard that the Freemen, who look after the site, were offered undisclosed compensation by the council for the temporary loss of grazing rights even though they are not exercised.

Roger Norris, chairman of the Freemen's trustees, said it had been alleged by some opponents of the scheme that individuals would benefit.

"This is certainly not the case. The organisation will receive compensation for loss of herbage rights, but it isn't intended to distribute the compensation to individual Free-men," he said.

The Freemen, who give money to charity and pay members £30 a year, would receive a penalty payment of £100 a week if the two-year limit was over-run - criticised by objectors as too small a deterrent.

Mr Norris rejected the suggestion by David Williams, secretary of the Save Our Sands action group, that the Freemen's agreement had been "bought".

He said the Freemen only agreed because they wanted Walkergate to succeed and to ensure a lack of parking spaces did not stop people shopping in Durham - the big fear of the city's traders.

"In no way would we have agreed to anything that seemed likely to be permanent," he said.

Mr Williams suggested that there was no timescale for site reinstatement and that parking could exceed two years without breaking the agreement between the Freemen and the council.

The chairman of the inquiry, David Tester, said that there "appear to be one or two shortcomings with the consent" - such as no deadline for reinstatement.

The council's barrister, Nicola Allan, said there would still be sufficient land for recreation on The Sands and that the scheme was intended to maintain adequate parking during the Walkergate development.

The inquiry also heard that the start of work at Walkergate by developer Amec had been put back again until June.

The inquiry continues today.