Congratulations on 'Business Press' (November 24) I haven't had such a laugh in ages! All those philanthropic property developers creating jobs for one thing.

Strange, I thought MAFF and the Land Registry had relocated most of their staff from elsewhere in the country.

Of course developers need Green Belt land to build on, it's cheaper than having to sort out brown land, ie the sort that's already had its day and needs cleaning up and redeveloping, and thus make greater profits for their shareholders.

A recent Times newspaper report on Land Securities, one of those featured, told a rather different story - it was all about their vast profits.

Those little pockets of green around York appear to be objects of desire for every speculative property developer in sight.

I should imagine we'll have plenty of brown land around soon when all their horrible constructions fall into disrepair.

Mick Phythian

Monkton Road,

York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.