I WANTED to reassure readers about the future of Askham Bog following a letter from A L Hulme (June 29).

The new draft Local Plan designates the land off Moor Lane as Green Belt and proposes no development of Askham Bog. The nature reserve is rightly recognised as an important place for wildlife in York and one which should be protected.

Previous plans brought forward under the Labour administration had proposed building off Moor Lane in the short-term or ‘safeguarding’ it for future development in the long-term. These proposals were opposed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and have been scrapped by the new Liberal Democrat-Conservative executive.

At Monday’s Local Plan Working Group (LPWG), a speaker from HOW Planning did put forward an alternative vision for the land off Moor Lane, which would see 1,250 houses built on the site.

However, this proposal is not in the executive’s draft Local Plan and the cross-party LPWG did not support it. The draft Local Plan will go to public consultation in July. It is important that everyone who wants to see Askham Bog protected takes part in that consultation and joins me in supporting the proposal to rule out any development off Moor Lane.

Cllr Stephen Fenton, Liberal Democrat councillor for Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, York