IS the Barbican becoming a thorn in the side of City of York Council?

After all, a barbican is an outer defence, the last one remains projecting outwards from Walmgate Bar, preserved by a sympathetic public in the early 19th century.

Then, as now, the local authority seemed determined to remove such an obstruction. I refer to the Barbican Centre and surrounding area.

I have seen the exhibition of bad ideas at the Barbican and it appears to be based on how to drive large, square pegs into small, round holes.

A civic space which can be used by all for a wide variety of uses in the centre of a small tightly packed city is valuable and should not be squandered to raise money.

N Almond,

Main Street,

Bishopthorpe, York.

Updated: 12:00 Wednesday, March 24, 2004