AM I the only person to be thoroughly fed up of the political parties in York in their attempts to blame each other for the proposal to sell the Union Terrace car park to York St John University?

I don’t care which party was to blame, although I suspect it has involved all at some stage.

What I am interested in is a reason for the need to sell the site at all, other than the university wishing to expand.

My wife and I have lived in the area for 24 years and in that time Gillygate has developed from a scruffy, rundown street to one which has attractive individual shops, cafés and one of the best restaurants in the city.

There are no doubt several reasons for this, but a major one is the Union Terrace car park. So why is it necessary to sell it? If the published figures are correct, it produces £400,000 pa in income, which makes the economic case for a sale at £2 million look flimsy.

I understand the university wanting to expand, although I suspect it would be difficult to generate support among local residents for injecting more students into an already heavily populated area.

David Addinall, Markham Street, York.

• I AM glad the Save Our Coach Park campaign is to continue as I suspect that the city council is still intent on selling off a major part of the Union Terrace parking area to York St John University.

Look at the recent history of attacks on city-centre parking:

• Marygate – a few years ago a proposal to build on this car park was only stopped by a strong public campaign.

• Union Terrace/Clarence Street – the former coach park was sold to St John’s and the coaches moved, substantially reducing space for cars. Then the Arc Light Centre was built, further reducing car parking.

• St George’s Field – the recent proposal to put the York Wheel on the car park was only thwarted by the vulnerability to flooding.

Why are car parks subject to so many attacks?

Because building on them is an easy money-maker for the council, that’s why. Yet once a car park is built on, it is gone forever.

Despite the success of Park&Ride, city-centre parking should be preserved. No one appears to have given a thought to the increased use of electric cars. People who have bought “green” cars will expect to drive them to the city centre.

Jim Fox, Aldwark, York.

• IS IT time we called for a vote of no confidence in our city council?

Once again, the taxpaying citizens and their needs, and indeed their demands, have been totally and blatantly ignored in the interest of short-term profit.

How could James Alexander and his cohorts ignore what the residents of this city want? Do they have so little regard for us now they have been voted in, as their predecessors did, that they think they can now ignore us?

Do they, the “ruling” Labour council, want to ruin this wonderful city as their party ruined the country?

We, the people, want to keep Union Terrace coach and car park in its present format – not any other.

We do not want any more students – we want the thousands and thousands of tourists pouring into our city; tourists are the lifeblood of our city for our shops, bars, restaurants and businesses like mine.

Listen to us – if you want to keep your jobs. You have the option that many of do not with your decision.

Judith Morris, Moorland Road, York.

• JOHN Jones hit the nail on the head (Letters, August 4) when he said it was time for York St John University to withdraw its application to take over the Union Terrace car and coach park.

I hope the vice-chancellor has been following the controversy and is aware of the 22,000-strong petition, the demonstrations and the numerous letters on the subject published in The Press or sent to himself and to council members.

Mr Jones refers to the anger and resentment which this “land grab” has raised. The only satisfactory solution now is for the university to look for other sites and thus avoid the necessity for further consultation and compromises which would still be unacceptable.

The reputation and local support for the university is at stake.

Jean Frost, Woodlands Grove, York.

• COMMUNITIES Secretary Eric Pickles is reported to be tearing up rules introduced by the previous Labour government, and says that he wants more car parking in towns and cities to help small shops prosper and avoid all trade going to out-of-town malls.

If this is not a good reason to keep all of Union Terrace coach and car park open, then I can only believe that the Labour council of York wishes to stick a few fingers up to the coalition Government.

Janis Wright, Celtic Close, York.

• I HAVE a solution for the furore caused over the Union Terrace car park. Why doesn’t the university look just beyond the car park and buy up the now almost derelict nurses’ homes site that has been standing empty and boarded up for years?

Assuming this site actually belongs to the NHS, it could be sold (as seen) to the university at a fair price and help to sort out some of the cash-saving NHS North Yorkshire and York needs to make at the same time.

Too obvious? It is not more than 100 metres from the car park site and students can walk at least that far, surely?

J Liddington, Hanover Court, Haxby, York.

• WITH reference to the Union Terrace car park. Have the council and university looked at the old doctors’ flats in Bootham Hospital grounds, next to Bridge Lane and the old tennis court and wasteland as an alternative?

Some years ago I believe the university took over the staff home at Clifton Hospital. Why not do the same with Bootham Hospital, which would be cheaper than buying the car park?

Mick Foster, Hansom Place, Wigginton Road, York.