FULL marks to City of York Council for a bold and exciting local plan.

At last York could see itself elevated to the city it was always meant to be and not some one trick (heritage and maybe leisure) pony anachronism. With some bold strokes of the pen applied to the map, James Alexander and his team have shown us an exciting glimpse of the future.

York was once the second city of England and when this plan comes in it could be well on the way to have everything going for it once again.

York needs housing and I’m sure there is a strong market for commuters who are fed up with living in the suburbs of West Yorkshire and would like to bring up their families in a rural situation such as ours. Why not have them here?

The proposed developments of Whinthorpe and the other one between Skelton and Wiggington will bring thousands of new shoppers into the area, meaning a business boom for local shops and outlying garden centres, not to mention any restaurants located outside the ring road (and just inside it) who I’m sure would welcome the extra trade.

It’s all very well banging on about Askham Bog and what have you, but Leeds used to be a prehistoric swamp (reference: Armley Hippo) and look where they are now. Not looking backward, that’s for sure.

Gordon Cheapcastle, York.