EVERYWHERE I look in York, buildings are being demolished to make way for new flats, town houses and hotels.

These are exciting times in our city.

We have the prospect of more people coming to live here and ever more tourists visiting and all that lovely money being collected for us to spend on better facilities, cleaner streets, more public toilets, better parking and transport systems, cycle paths, new state-of-the-art sports facilities and swimming pools! What's that? There's still not enough money to provide these basic essentials? Still 'mums the word', don't let the new people know until they get here and start paying their Council Tax. Meanwhile, let's meet for coffee and a pizza in Parliament Street, where we can sit and watch the world go by on this tree-lined avenue between York's magnificent fountain and the gloriously-named Splash Palace.

As a warm waft of exotic smells drift by on the air we could almost be in Venice or Rome.

Pamela Egan,

North Lane,

Malton Road, York.

Updated: 10:12 Monday, September 10, 2001