SO the company behind the proposed Rougier Street redevelopment has gone bust – no surprise there! I regard this as a lucky escape for York and an opportunity for a rethink.

Maybe Northern House can now be converted into flats, like the Ryedale Building in Piccadilly, with only the smaller buildings closer to the Roman bridge approaches demolished and archaeologically excavated.

This would avoid a wasting the embedded carbon in the existing building, and York would be saved from a huge unnecessary construction project to erect the monstrous carbuncle that was approved by the casting vote of the old planning committee chairman.

As for the much needed Roman Centre, how about re-purposing one of the empty shops in Coney Street which the Helmsley Group own?

They present themselves as a progressive business, so they should welcome the idea to provide a popular focus for their riverside redevelopment project, and it would help revitalise Coney Street.

Christopher Rainger,

Grange Street,

York

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What are Labour's plans for pensions?

IT is rumoured the next Labour government will raid private pension funds to the sum of £50 billion yet leave alone funds created for public sector pensions.

A perfect illustration of socialist ambitions for individual freedoms to be suffocated on the altar of "nanny" state control.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park,

Selby

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What is your view?

Email - letters@thepress.co.uk

Keep your letter to 250 words maximum and provide your full name, address and mobile number

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Help needed in Cameroon

WHILE some crises feature heavily in the media’s spotlight, places like Cameroon slip under the radar almost completely. It means that sometimes there can be a humanitarian crisis affecting millions of people, yet relatively few people know about it.

At the international disaster relief charity ShelterBox, we want to change that with the help of our supporters who we rely on to fund our responses.

It’s why we’ve launched a new fundraising appeal to help us reach our mission of no one without shelter after disaster. We’re aiming to raise £100,000, so we can provide crucial support to people affected by conflict and extreme weather events – wherever in the world they may live.

Cameroon is one of many countries where we're currently responding. We’ve supported more than 100,000 people in the far north of the country since 2015, but there are thousands more people still living in makeshift camps or inadequate housing, with no access to basic sanitation, clean water, or other essential services.

ShelterBox is the sole provider of emergency tents in and around a vast refugee site known as Minawao camp. When I visited a transit centre for the site recently it was completely over-crowded. A space meant for 250 people had around 2,000 people there waiting to move. The need is so apparent, but the world isn’t being told about it.

We’re hoping to support more than 50,000 people there with our latest project. We’re providing more robust shelter, community toolkits, and items like mosquito nets, water carriers, and cooking sets that are making a tangible difference to families who have lost their homes and belongings.

Our work supporting people around the world who’ve been uprooted by conflict and disaster is possible thanks to public donations. Every donation to our Spring Appeal will make a real difference to the lives of people who have lost everything. To find out more visit www.shelterbox.org/.

Flora Longley-Cook

Programme manager for Cameroon

ShelterBox