A TV architect became involved in an “explosive war of words” with a regional daily deputy editor who accused him of “talking tripe” about a new development on the newspaper’s patch.

George Clarke, left, who is best known for presenting his Amazing Spaces series on Channel 4, published a two-page open letter defending his views about plans for the former Vaux Brewery site in Sunderland, after Sunderland Echo deputy editor Richard Ord had called on him to offer his services to the project.

Mr Clarke had criticised proposals for the site – which is set to be taken up by new housing, offices, shops and leisure space – as a “very poor urban design solution and a wasted opportunity”.

But in a column for the Echo, Richard said the Sunderland-born architect had “disappeared up his own backside” following the rant.

Richard added: “I’m no architect, but the artist’s impressions of the site are a million times better than the car parks, gravel and weeds on there at the moment. Not in George’s eyes. And he let his 109,000 Twitter and 27,000 Instagram followers know.

“I can’t help thinking that Twitter is perhaps not the best medium by which to solve complex design problems. At 140 characters, there’s a limit to what advice you can give.

“Could he expand on the issue? He hasn’t yet. Though one follower did ask why he didn’t get involved in the Vaux design work. ‘I would have been very happy to help,’ he said, ‘had I been asked.’

“Give me a break. If you’re so concerned about this development in your home city then why, in the last 17 years, haven’t you piped up and offered your services?”

In response to Richard’s column, Mr Clarke published the letter on his Twitter account, stating he was now in talks with Siglion, the consortium behind the development.

He added: “Please don’t criticise me for wanting the very best for a city that I love. For such an important site, there is no excuse for Sunderland to accept a master plan that is anything less than ‘outstanding’, nor should we accept lazy or unambitious journalism.”

In a follow-up column, Richard joked it was “safe to say I’ll not be featuring on [Mr Clarke’s] Christmas card list”.

He wrote: “Just what you needed, another explosive war of words in the Twittersphere. Forget Trump v Clinton, now it’s Clarke v Ord. The heavyweight TV architect versus the paperweight Echo columnist.”

Richard added: “My big gripe was he waited until work started before complaining about it being “a wasted opportunity” and a “very poor urban design. Might have been better to mention this at the consultation stage, not once work had begun.

“In his tirade, he did have a point when he blasted my ‘lazy journalism.’ I should have worked harder on my headline.

“‘By George! He doesn’t half talk some tripe’ was poor. I should have thrown in an architect pun. On reflection ‘By George! Designer whiner is on wobbly foundations’ would have been much better.

“Joking aside, both George and I want what’s best for Sunderland. Fortunately, George is a much more influential and privileged position to make it happen. I wish him luck.”