NOW that City of York Council has destroyed any hope of a new attraction about aviation history by crushing the unlisted heritage asset known as Reynards garage, I am contemplating running a sweepstake on how long the site will remain vacant before anything new is erected.

I don’t expect having to pay out a winner any time soon.

No one should be fooled into thinking that construction is imminent. It is not. There is an awful long way to go before any proposal could materialise.

So it is not unreasonable to ask the council what intermediate proposals are being considered?

Are they commissioning an archaeological survey to avoid a delay in development if and when any scheme does eventually get the go ahead? If not, why not? And if so, who who will be paying for it?

And are they contemplating a temporary car park or something similar to bring revenue to council coffers in the meantime, or will this land be left wasted for years like so many other sites in York?

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayors Walk, York