RARELY has there been such a public response to a local issue as the outcry against proposals to develop the Coppergate Phase II shopping complex.

Aspects of the scheme, particularly the scale of the development which threatened to swamp the historic Clifford's Tower, produced an unprecedented postbag for this newspaper's letters page.

And 200 people turned out to demonstrate their strength of feeling last night as the issue went before city planners.

Little wonder, then - especially with an election year ahead - that councillors rejected the £60 million proposals after expressing a number of reservations.

It was a victory for public opinion but also for common sense. Yet the story does not, should not, end here.

Our city centre desperately needs a stylish, attractive retail development to help combat overwhelming competition from the out of town shopping complexes which are draining York's commercial lifeblood. And the Piccadilly area backing on to Clifford's Tower desperately needs tidying up.

But the city does not need this development at any cost. It is right that the area is redeveloped but not in a quick, knee-jerk response to the out-of-town boom. Commercial demand must never take precedence over the survival of York's priceless heritage.

Whatever scheme is finally approved for Coppergate II has to be carefully designed to complement this historic sector of the city. It must sit comfortably and happily alongside the castle on a hill for decades to come, so it has to be thoughtfully planned and considered - and public consultation must result in a satisfactory consensus.

It is not beyond the skill of Yorkshire's architects to come up with such a design. Whoever does press ahead with the redevelopment now has a very clear indication that neither the council nor people of York will stand for any old scheme.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.