THE inspector's report on Coppergate must make grim reading for City of York Council (September 10). Virtually every aspect of the proposed scheme has come in for criticism, and one must question the council's balance and judgement in persisting with this in the face of common sense.

But your report yesterday wrongly quoted the Secretary of State in saying that built development on land to the west of the River Foss is desirable in principle: in fact what he said was that he was unable to make such a statement without relation to specific proposals, despite the council requesting him to do so.

This ought to be the last nail in the coffin of plans for shops between the river and Clifford's Tower.

It is time for the new Liberal Democrat administration to formally renounce such ideas, and instead set up a new team of planners, local interest groups and developers to find imaginative solutions to regeneration of the Piccadilly area in its own right.

Tim Tozer,

Church Lane,

Elvington,

York.

...GREAT news about the Coppergate inquiry. I notice that the comments from Mr Templeman were all about commerce and employment; they didn't take on board the concerns about York's culture, history and environment.

What he doesn't seem to have understood is that more shops the same as those at out of town centres will not pull people back to York. Making the visit more special, interesting and fun will.

Since York council had loads of money to throw away on a long inquiry, how about putting a bit more in the pot to provide a prize and getting the York schools involved in a design competition for the most imaginative, sympathetic development of this space?

This opportunity won't come up again for a long time (maybe never). The new council needs to show its Liberal credentials and try to involve the populace in the design and decision.

Clive Tiney,

Towthorpe Road,

Haxby,

York.

...LUDDITES rule - OK?

Phil Fowler,

Bramble Dene,

Woodthorpe, York.

Updated: 08:44 Saturday, September 13, 2003