CHRISTIAN VASSIE is right – up to a point – about local politicians claiming to love York’s almost non-existent green belt (Letters, March 25).

Not far away are the Wolds, the North York Moors, the Yorkshire Dales, the Pennines, and the coast. But York itself is surrounded by mile upon mile of comparatively flat, boring farmland, especially to the south.

Would it really be such a tragedy if some of this were built on? The only serious objection I can see is the loss of viable agricultural land.

Why not expand Copmanthorpe? Why not build a big Park & Ride there, not just for York, but for Leeds and beyond, with a railway station and easy access from the A64? We might even get improved public transport out of it, too.

Alan Robinson, Lindley Street, Holgate, York.