AS someone who has been involved in local government, at all levels, for many years, and is still involved in Heslington Parish Council, I feel that probably the most important legacy of the post war Labour government was, for the first time ever, the creation of a system of local planning.

This system has stood the test of time very well. It may be slow and take a long time to reach decisions, but it is on the whole, fair and honest. One may disagree with the decisions made by planning committees but at least one knows that they have gone through the whole democratic process.

In the case of the Coppergate II development, this process has taken ten years with many opportunities to comment and object, which I have done myself after seeing the video of the scheme in the former York Story building.

My feeling was that the scheme should go ahead as it was such an enormous improvement on the dreadful mess at the moment, with the awful car park round Clifford's Tower and the great bonus of the demolition of that eyesore, the Ryedale Building.

I also feel that shopping is poor in York at the moment, apart from two good shops and it will give the opportunity for stores like Debenhams to have space they need within the city boundaries.

It seems to me very irresponsible of the Civic Trust to campaign to now start the process all over again, fully supported by the local media, after all this time.

Just think of another five-year delay and the difficulty we would have in persuading reputable developers to invest money in York when we treat them like this!

Oliver Worsley,

Midgley House,

Heslington,

York.

Updated: 10:41 Thursday, January 11, 2001