FREDA Tolhurst's reply to my letter of June 15 just confirms my arguments. Heslington village has been incorporated into the existing university campus and there is no going back to some rose-tinted past.

I am out on my bicycle around 7.30am, cycling on the cycle track through the university and meet many students and staff on their way to work and study. I pass the new medical school turning out much-needed doctors for the NHS and the bio centre doing cutting edge, exciting work on the fight against cancer. I see the expansion of the Science Park and I welcome the further new building under way.

In this hugely competitive world, we need a highly educated workforce to survive and York University is doing sterling work in this direction to ensure this happens.

It is most uncharitable of the critics to demean the students and to wish this essential development were sited in another part of York or Leeds.

I have a well-performing school at either end of my street and a first class university close by. I rejoice in the quality of the younger generation I meet and recognise that the great majority are hard working and well behaved.

J M Purves,

Crossways, Badger Hill, York.

...THE Terry's cloud could have a silver lining. At the same time that Terry's announces closure, the University of York announces expansion plans that involve building offices on a green field site at Heslington.

Why not save some of the land at Heslington by switching the Science City expansion to the Terry's site?

In contrast to the Heslington site, there is room for housing and offices so we could have economic development with a much smaller impact on traffic.

An analysis of the companies on the Science Park at Heslington reveals that most have no essential links with the university - many companies want nice offices in a nice location. The old Terry's buildings would make attractive offices in a location that would be appealing for tenants.

Agricultural land should only be built on if there is no alternative. We have an alternative.

Richard Firn,

Stockton Lane,

Heworth, York.

Updated: 10:55 Monday, June 28, 2004