IS this the council's scheme to "save" the Barbican: a 2am liquor licence to go with the casino and fast-food outlets, all on the same site as the "lucky" families in the social housing.

What do Absolute Leisure want with a 2am alcohol licence? I bet it's not for pensioners outings.

Why do Absolute Leisure want to "vary the layout"? Could it be to extend the bars into a much bigger area? Do they plan late night music bars by any chance?

From what I can gather, Absolute Leisure specialises in running late night pubs and clubs. Has it any experience of running a large multi-use venue such as the Barbican theatre?

What time do councillors think that casinos close? I assure them it is not 4 o' clock in the afternoon, more like 4 o'clock in the morning.

What seems to be planned for the Barbican site is totally inappropriate for this area and goes against the council's own local development plan. The proposed buildings are too high and too close to adjacent homes and the ancient city walls.

Wake up people and stop this monstrous mismatch now. Save our Barbican - there must be an alternative.

E P Dickinson,

Anne Street, York.

...SO, not only does City of York Council expect the residents of York to submit meekly to the latest hike in council tax charges, but also to let them sell off the last bricks and mortar asset, in the shape of the Barbican Centre, to private developers.

It was with joy that I greeted the departure of the Labour council at the local elections, under the illusion that the sell-off had been consigned to a dark place. This assumption was fuelled by promises made by the present council, at meetings prior to the elections, that due to its immense value to the people of York, both now and in the future, it would not be sold to private developers.

Are York residents really going to benefit from hotels and casinos on the present site? The only combined leisure centre/ concert venue in the centre of York will be no more.

The service it provides for schoolchildren, students, handicapped people, young mothers, pensioners and thousands of ordinary York residents is far too important to sell off for a fast buck.

Once it is gone, it is gone.

So here's a reminder, York council, your mandate is to serve the ratepayers of the city. Selling the city's crown jewels is not in our interest.

Philip Atkinson,

Danum Road, Fulford, York.

...PAUL Cordock hits the nail on the head when he speaks of the "anti-development mafia" in York (Letters, February 25). Their latest efforts seem to be directed against the plans for the Barbican area and already they have gained some support.

Soon we shall see marches and petitions and, if enough supporters are found, the council may once again be severely hampered in its efforts to complete this deal.

The trouble is that a small vocal minority can seem to be far more powerful than it really is and could again involve the council in a very lengthy and expensive appeal process.

I hope that this will not happen as our council tax may go up even more next year as a result.

Also it seems to me that the plans for the Barbican are a reasonable solution to this matter in the circumstances and are already well advanced.

What can be done to curb the power of this "mafia"? Perhaps investigate the ringleaders to discover the real reasons behind their campaigns, or find out the opinions of the silent majority. Then again, they could just be ignored.

Jean Frost,

Elmpark Way, York.

...I HOPE in the redevelopment of the Barbican the planners note that the auditorium is right on a critical size.

It certainly can't be smaller, as this would fail to attract events such as snooker, and the big name bands who appear. A slightly bigger, multi-use auditorium on the lines of the existing one or improved must be the only viable option.

Chris Clayton,

Hempland Drive,

York.

Updated: 11:58 Tuesday, March 02, 2004