YORK and its outer areas are a variation of character based on a multitude of villages. We are in grave danger of blurring them into one as York’s green and pleasant boundaries are gobbled up by the housing beast.

I read the concerns of Richard Carr, an architect of Poppleton (Letters, March 23), who pointed out the new development for houses in the Trenchard Road area creeping up to his village.

I don’t want to see Boroughbridge Road merging into Poppleton; Bishopthorpe merging with South Bank or Acaster Malbis; Huntington into Strensall and New Earswick into Haxby. We can already see where this has been excessive, Haxby into Wigginton.

If this happens, we then start to lose all the character of these lovely places which give them a sense of place and identity. They should always be separated by reasonable boundaries of green belt.

We have just had the huge development at Principal Rise on Tadcaster Road; Terry’s old site is under way, to be followed by the old British Sugar site off Boroughbridge Road, just how will the city cope with any more traffic?

Surely, to cope with future housing needs, York will have to come well outside the city area and create a new village off a dual carriageway?

Keith Massey, Bishopthorpe, York.