More than 2,000 Evening Press readers voted for York Tomorrow's proposal to turn the area around Clifford's Tower into a public park (November 29). Only a couple of hundred voted for Coppergate Riverside.

I was at the planning meeting on Wednesday when these results were announced. I, like most of the other members of the public who attended, was sickened to hear this significant result dismissed in one sentence.

If multiple voting was a possibility, why didn't Coppergate Riverside's supporters swamp the phone lines? But then, it was obvious from the start that councillors had already made up their minds and weren't going to be swayed by anything as paltry as public opinion, let alone reasoned argument.

Speaker after speaker gave evidence to the effect on York's environment, architecture, heritage, transport and retail development, yet few councillors addressed the important points these people made and the general tone for the time I was there was of nit-picking and point-scoring.

It was a disgraceful performance. I was not really surprised to hear that Coppergate Riverside was eventually voted for by a majority of 13-2, but I am desperately sad.

Councillors, you have not only sold your souls to the devil, you have sold York down the river. Shame on you.

Kate Lock,

Bishopthorpe Road, York.