MR Waters is right to point out that the Liberal Democrats fought the 2003 local election on a manifesto committed to changing Labour's Greenfield development policy (Letters, February 8).

Since then we have removed the threat of development from 145 hectares of greenfield around the edge of York - this really would have led to unsustainable urban sprawl.

We have been able to do that because we are committed to developing the York Central site and other brownfield sites.

At the meeting it was reported that more than 86 per cent of York's development in 2001/2 took place on brownfield sites; in 2002/3 it was just under 83 per cent and in 2003/4 it was well above 89 per cent - one of the highest percentages in the region.

Your correspondent fails to mention the Derwenthorpe site was removed from the green belt by a Government inspector in 1994.

Work to develop the scheme has been going on since 1998, so it is ahead of York Central by some years.

Since 2003, Liberal Democrats have given priority to getting the York Central development moving ahead in keeping with their manifesto commitment.

As Mr Waters may have noticed, the planning committee's decision on the Derwenthorpe proposals reflected members' broad support for a low density, sustainable development that will provide much- needed family houses, 180 of which will be either for rent or shared ownership.

Clearly, there is also a good measure of consent for the other decisions which he mentions, although it is not often expressed in the terms he has chosen to use.

Coun Ian Cuthbertson,

Plainville Lane,

Wigginton, York.

Updated: 09:42 Monday, February 14, 2005