It was interesting to read that our local MP has concerns about the high number of student blocks, town houses and luxury flats being built in recent years and the low number of affordable homes and social housing, plus the roads suffering from gridlock and pollution (The Press, May 17).

It was even more interesting to hear that she wants the minister to listen to local expertise!

One may well ask ‘what local expertise?’ All the things listed have happened due to this ‘local expertise’, along with the disgraceful state of our city centre’s paved areas, our lack of public toilets, the disregard for the civic buildings and support of the civic role. Add to these changing our historic values to a city becoming the drinking capital of Yorkshire; the decline of retail in the city; the approval of the diabolical addition to Clifford’s Tower; tin boxes in Piccadilly; and demolishing of the Parliament Street fountain with no idea of what to replace it with.

And the minister should take notice of this local expertise? Oh I forgot -we are building a community stadium and nobody seems to care about who is running what or how the shared use is to work!

Brian Watson,

Beckfield Lane, York