I WRITE in response to the letter entitled "York desperately needs more shops" by Chris Nelson (March 27).

York may need more variety in its retail output, but it certainly does not need to become a clone-town with the same old shops that you can get absolutely anywhere.

If you ask any of the visitors in York why they are here spending their money, they will tell you that it is the unique little shops on Shambles and Stonegate that they enjoy, or the many historic attractions that the city has to offer, including York Minster and Clifford's Tower.

A case in point is that a friend of mine from London came to visit a couple of weeks ago. While I was at work she did all the usual touristy things: the Minster, Shambles, Clifford's Tower, Jorvik, Barley Hall, and finally Stonegate.

At the end of Stonegate she crossed St Helen's Square and turned into Coney Street. Looking down the street she thought "I can go into any of these shops at home in London so there's no point going down here".

She promptly turned around and went back towards Stonegate.

York needs to be unique and distinctive, it does not need to be a mirror image of Leeds, Hull, or anywhere else; and it does not need a major new shopping development next to our most treasured historic assets.

Furthermore, I have visited a lot of the major cities in the UK and have never seen or heard of a Maplin Electronics store.

Stella Jackson,

Keble Park North,

Bishopthorpe,

York.

Updated: 09:34 Friday, March 31, 2006