Sue Cooke is right to fear a significant proportion of the 2,500 ‘new homes’ on York Central will be taken as holiday lets, second homes or London-priced accommodation for rail commuters (Missed opportunity on York Central, Letters, April 2).

As the only member of the planning committee to actually vote against approval, I had already asked a range of questions to speakers, including one to Homes England that got the response that “it is very difficult to control how many of the 80 per cent open-sale properties might go to second home or holiday rental use”. He had no comparable research data.

Prof Tony May’s professional questioning of the transport strategy was also brushed aside.

So were concerns from others about the overly ‘car-centric’ approach, allowing through traffic to clog up bus routes and perpetuate the fume-laden daily procession through the ‘Leeman island’ terraced streets.

Instead of taking the opportunity to offer rail users a fast, direct early-morning/late night Park&Ride service, the York Central Partnership intends to re-provide nearly 500 premium-rate parking spaces simply to maintain income streams.

A hotel and new offices will use hundreds more spaces. Councillors may have endorsed a ‘climate emergency’ but clearly don’t yet understand the implications of decisions we make.

Andy D’Agorne

Green Party,

Broadway West, York

Changes needed to station platforms

THE buildings planned in the York Central development - adjacent to York Station where the doomed 1989 signalling building sits - appear to prevent: (1) widening of the relatively narrow Platform 10/11 island; and (2) construction of an additional through Platform 12.

I think both interventions are necessary to increase capacity, particularly for much longer trains to call (from High Speed 2 and a new Transpennine line), and for Harrogate to Scarborough services reversing in York station to be introduced.

Ben Hughes,

Derwent Way,

Derwenthorpe, York