THERE were well over 100 people at the protest against the development plans for Connaught Court in Fulford.

No amount of spin by Andrew White of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution (RMBI) will convince Fulford residents the trees will be safeguarded or that a green corridor will be maintained as he continues to assert (May 20).

An independent tree consultant has concluded that if the current plans are approved, more than half of the 25 "protected" trees within the site will either be felled or threatened and many more of the smaller ones will also be lost.

These findings are borne out by the council's own landscape architect and anyone who would like to read this comprehensive tree report can access it from the Fulford Friends website, www.fulfordfriends.co.uk.

We await a third submission of plans by the RMBI, but it is obvious that two new access roads, 65 apartments, 19 large houses, a six-room extension to the care-home, a children's playground and car parks cannot easily be accommodated on parkland without seriously affecting the trees, wildlife and the amenities of the area.

Mary Urmston,

Fulford Friends,

Fulford Park,

York.

Updated: 08:44 Monday, May 30, 2005