THE Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has consistently objected to Campus 3 but has always supported the expansion of York University.

We agree it is good for York but so is the Green Belt. Our basic objection is the absence of any serious study of the option to expand on the campus. Only 20 per cent of the present site is built on and half of that is either car parks or single storey buildings of no architectural significance.

Building on 30 per cent of the site and above car parks and single storey buildings could give the space to meet the forecast needs for the expanded university. It need not destroy the vision of an "open campus collegiate ethos" envisaged by the university's founding fathers.

The choice is between accepting a small increase in the density of the present site or developing 287 acres of farmed land in the green belt.

We hope a public inquiry will support the former. Eighty per cent of residents surveyed by CPRE three years ago certainly did.

Frank Paterson,

Deputy chairman,

CPRE, York & Selby branch,

Main Street,

Askham Bryan, York.

Updated: 10:26 Thursday, May 12, 2005