I, AND many other citizens, have been against the development of a children's playground on a remote part of Knavesmire, but all objections have been ignored and the development is to go ahead.

The hundreds of people who wanted the play area was actually a petition signed by only 202 persons many of whom, I suspect, had only a vague idea of the actual situation of the play area. No mention is made of how many people refused to sign the petition.

Many local residents consider the site environmentally unsuitable and not a safe area for young children, especially those who will invariably be unsupervised. The development has been opposed by York police, York Racecourse committee, Middlethorpe Hall and the adjacent farmer.

Being a grandparent, I am not against children's playgrounds per se, but I am very concerned for the safety of young children playing in this isolated area.

John Davidson,

Middlethorpe Drive,

York.

...WITH reference to the letter by Mr Ellery, We Need a Playground (December 7), I wish to respond to some of the issues raised.

I represent the North Yorkshire Police as a police architectural liaison officer, working within the umbrella of the Safer York Partnership.

My role is to offer professional advice on all matters relating to community safety and designing out crime issues. The siting of a children's play area at Middlethorpe Common, in such an isolated position away from any form of natural surveillance or supervision, is in direct conflict with well documented designing out crime principles. The views I expressed were based on these principles and on personal experience in dealing with crime and community safety issues.

This is a children's play area which will be used by children unaccompanied by adults. This is my concern which I raised in my report to the planning authority.

The play area also raises other issues such as damage and anti-social behaviour which could be generated owing to the lack of natural surveillance.

All of these issues could have future policing implications.

Had this children's play area been sited in a position where it was overlooked, then the opportunity for crime and criminal behaviour would be minimised.

I became involved in this planning application as a direct result of concerns expressed by the local community police officer.

I would like to again stress that the police did not object to the provision of a children's play area. We did however, express grave concerns about this being sited in such an isolated position.

Jim Shanks,

Police architectural liaison officer,

Safer York Partnership,

City of York Council,

York.