I AM amazed by the comment in the Evening Press (October 20) from a City of York Council spokesman that there has been "years of public debate" on Coppergate II.

The council has never encouraged a debate on options of what to do with the Castle area car park. It has merely been assumed by the council that there would be a commercial development on the site. There has been some debate on the style of building, but even on that the public consultation was entrusted to the council's chosen developer, Land Securities.

We, the citizens of York, have never been asked by the council whether we would like a car park, or green park, or shopping mall, or any other combination of these. We should also remember that the Evening Press's own telephone poll produced a vote five-to-one against the Land Securities proposal.

I have lived in York all my life and run a business from Piccadilly. No one has ever asked me what I would like to see on the site next to mine, apart from, of course, the Castle Area Campaign Group. They held a public exhibition of all the options, including the Land Securities' scheme, in Parliament Street two weeks ago.

I call on the City of York Council to produce the evidence of the public consultation which their spokesman believes they have undertaken.

D D Hughes,

Dave Dee Removals,

Piccadilly, York.

Updated: 11:38 Wednesday, November 14, 2001