City of York Council has submitted a planning application to itself for a multi-storey car park in St George’s Field (The Press, October 15).

Under normal circumstances, rigorous scrutiny is given by the council to the design of new buildings in York city centre and yet the building that the council proposes has all the appearance of an inner city, concrete clad multi-storey from the 1960s or 70s. In addition to the ridged concrete style external panelling, ‘Living Walls’ are proposed (presumably to mitigate the brutalist design). This feature will demand extensive and expensive maintenance to ensure that the living wall actually remains living. In times of reduced budgets for local authorities, isn’t this commitment to continual maintenance rather stupid?

Of course, the pretty pictures submitted with the application show all the surrounding trees in full leaf, whilst in reality, for half the year they will not be. If this application is approved, in winter, after a few years of weather staining, this multi-storey car park will be an eyesore. It will look like a 40-year-old relic, ready for demolition.

The dated, brutalist and inappropriate external materials and design proposed for the car park have no place in historic central York and there should be very real concern that the council will not examine this planning application as rigorously as it would if it were not the applicant.

Belinda and Barry Denton,

Postern Close, York