REACHING agreement on terms is not the same as having sold a property (The Press, November 23).

Nevertheless it is to be hoped that the freehold interest of the former Rowntree factory goes ahead soon, so that this wasting asset can be brought into beneficial use to increase York’s housing stock.

The outline planning approval for the overall site expired long ago.

It was based on a master plan that included a link from Wigginton Road to Haxby Road that was to be restricted to buses and bicycles only; despite the glaringly obvious need for a relief road to cut all traffic congestion outside the hospital.

The Nestlé site offers the only realistic prospect of busting that bottleneck.

We need the new administration at City of York Council to recognise this and ensure that future planning approvals allow for this vital artery to be delivered.

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayors Walk, York