IN response to your comment piece (Evening Press, July 6), I am anxious to point out that Land Securities Properties Ltd has been listening to the views of traders in York and will continue to do so.

We welcome the opinions of the people of York and the business community. It has been refreshing to hear from the vast majority of people who have attended our public exhibition in the former York Story museum this week (in excess of 700 by Thursday, July 6) how much they welcome our new plans for Coppergate Riverside and feel it will add to the quality, look and feel of York, while also adding to its attractions as a shopping venue.

The support of the business community is also important and, consequently, we have made specific presentations of the scheme to the Retail Committee of the York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce and also First Stop York. We would welcome further discussions with these bodies and, indeed, individual traders within the city centre.

The operators of fine stores such as Banks Music, Barnitts, Browns, Fosters Jewellery, French Connection, Mulberry Hall and Sarah Coggles, have much to gain from a new development in the city centre which will help to make York one of the places to visit in the north, while providing a total shopping experience that will reduce leakage to centres such as Meadowhall, the Metro Centre and Leeds, which are able to offer a range of goods not available in York.

If the variety is not there, shoppers will vote with their feet. Our belief is that Coppergate Riverside will keep those feet firmly planted on York's streets.

Richard Akers,

Assistant director,

Land Securities Properties Ltd.