AS Cardigan Castle still remains on the market for £1.25m we give 10 reasons why the towns most important asset should belong to a public trust - not a private individual.

1. Whoever buys the castle needs plenty of time. Even the most conservative estimate puts the period of time needed to fully restore the castle at 15 years.

2. A private investor will never recoup his or her investment. Forget the £1.25m asking price - any buyer will need to pour millions of pounds into the castle if they want to restore it to its full potential.

3. A charitable trust can access grants that are closed to private and commercial developers. And grants are going to be the mainstay of any restoration programme.

4. Whoever buys the castle is going to face huge technical problems which will need expert advice. Simply digging a flowerbed will trigger archaeological interest. A trust will have those experts within its ranks.

5. Planning restrictions will provide an enormous headache for any potential buyer. Add to that the stress of being obliged to re-instate any structures which are already in an advanced stage of decay.

6. The legal implications are daunting. The county council could serve a repairs notice before the ink is dry on the contract. A charitable trust has the ability to access grants to carry out those repairs.

7. If anyone wants to turn the house into a small commerical business such as a guest house or hotel they will have to face facts that the facility will be set in the not so attractive surroundings of a building site for over a decade.

8. If the castle receives public money it means there must be public controls. Which means access.

9. A huge amount of expertise will be needed. Castle Green House is a Grade II* listed house. Features that will need restoring include stucco work and interior doors. A trust would be able to access a wide range of experts and gather advice from a whole range of independent bodies.

10. Imagine that a private individual manages to restore the house and grounds. What use is it to them then? The Local Plan earmarks the castle site for cultural/tourism development. Who is going to invest all that money and time only to find out that they have to open the doors to the public with little prospect of creaming off a fat profit?

As a final note of warning to any potential private purchaser, Tom Lloyd of the Buildings At Risk Trust, which helped in the restoration of Aberglasney, said: "People have very romantic notions of restoring an old building. The reality is it is a lot of hard work, very stressful, very complicated and extremely expensive."