I CANNOT understand if Lord Best of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has succeeded in deluding himself that his "Disasterthorpe" housing estate proposals are environmentally friendly, or whether his latest letter (April 12) is yet another bid to delude the people of York.

As one of those responsible for initiating a complaint to the Audit Commission about the financial "smoke and mirrors" arrangements between JRF and the city council, I wish to make clear to Lord Best that my motive is purely to use whatever means possible to ensure the collapse of his appalling scheme. Contrary to some of the myths being spread by certain councillors, including amazingly, the Osbaldwick representative, Coun Morley, collapse of the JRF scheme will not automatically lead to a big bad developer shoe-horning thousands of properties on to the site.

The site would have to be reassessed, given the more stringent environmental planning constraints since it was last looked at properly in the early Nineties.

Considering the ecological value of the site, many of us would be hoping to see it designated with Local Nature Reserve status, safeguarding it and bringing it under effective management again.

If Lord Best, living as he does in a stately home surrounded by acre upon acre of English countryside, wishes to destroy this green oasis used by us "little people", perhaps he might ask his environmental adviser, Prof Baines, to explain to us how the destruction of ancient meadows and hedgerows can be held up as a model for others to follow.

M Warters,

Yew Tree Mews,

Osbaldwick Village, York.

Updated: 11:18 Thursday, April 21, 2005