IT was the inevitable result that those opposed to the Derwenthorpe development were expecting. The council voted in favour ("Green Light For 'New Village' Bid", February 1).
This was hardly surprising given that the council, which owns the site, stands to profit by millions of pounds when the land is sold off.
Most embarrassingly for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) they could not produce any speakers in favour of their development other than red-faced employees and consultants hired by them.
What was surprising, though, was the unwillingness of both the council and JRF to amend their plans to take account of objections, and the unwillingness of members and officers to take account of residents' concerns.
Not only that but it seemed that officers came to the meeting ill prepared to answer questions. Most laughable was the performance by traffic manager Peter Evely who compared the road network in York to a plastic cup which, he reassured us, was not yet full.
As far as the local residents are concerned this is not the end of the matter. As long as our concerns are left outstanding we will fight this development all the way.
That means to judicial review or public inquiry, where we hope the negative aspects of this development will be fully appreciated and the planning bias exercised in favour of this development will be unmasked.
Adrian Wilson,
Grasmere Drive, York.
Updated: 11:20 Wednesday, February 02, 2005
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