Oh no, not another round of consultation on Castle Gateway! Cllr Ayre wants us to ‘take this fantastic opportunity to shape the city centre’ (Share your ideas for the new Castle Gateway plan, January 24).

We have been doing this for years now by sticking little bits of paper on clip boards, but now he seems to think he can convince us the council should borrow another £48 million to be their own developer for this project.

So is the message coming from Cllr Ayre that all this consultation has been in vain and we will get huge buildings like the proposed housing at Castle Mills, which will help fund the multi storey St George’s car park? This not only stands out, but will be a catalyst for future height levels along the riverside.

Why oh why doesn’t the council just put forward its plans for the area (because in all probability that’s what we will probably finish up with) then let people judge that?

Then they can give a more detailed response and try to convince people that it is what the post it notes reflected.

Given the council’s past record - i.e a £20m loan for the Guildhall complex and the length of time taken to get it started - I don’t suppose many people are surprised that the authority seems to have difficulty in getting government funding.

With the council’s record of openness, transparency and speed in getting things done, I wait with bated breath for the next step.

Brian Watson,

Beckfield Lane, York