RE the article "£3.2m boost for homes" and the comments by Ian Atkinson therein (March 31).

It would appear that the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (after the injection of £3.2 million of taxpayers' money) is expecting that planning permission for "Derwentthorpe" is a foregone conclusion. No doubt this cash will enable JRF to continue to ride roughshod over the residents surrounding the area.

Or perhaps they will use it to fund a new, and much needed access road to the site, thus freeing the local road network from the burden of years of construction traffic.

W H Hall,

The Village,

Osbaldwick,

York.

Updated: 11:47 Thursday, April 08, 2004