IT was encouraging to read Stephen Lewis’ article “One Earth - so don’t use it all at once” (The Press, August 17) about the steps that City of York Council is taking to promote sustainable living and hence to ensure that we don’t use up more resources per head than is available to us on planet earth.

Everyone involved in this project is to be commended. However, it is also important to see this programme in perspective.

For at the same time that the council is promoting this initiative it is also eager to sign off on a Local Plan that includes a target of building circa 500 new houses a year every year until 2032.

Given that building houses involves the use of huge amounts of brick, concrete, cement, metal and wood, not to mention energy, and is estimated to release some 80 tons of greenhouse gas per house built, it is hard to see how this could be compatible with achieving One Planet status for the city.

For no amount of replacing car journeys by bike, turning down the thermostat, or recycling ever more paper glass and plastic, will ever come close to outweighing the massive increase in York’s use of resources should this extensive construction programme go ahead.

In that respect, achieving One Planet status for the city will remain a pipedream as long as building new houses is given priority over making best use of existing accommodation.

Colin Campbell, Fulford, York