MONKS Cross 2 is seemingly on its way. I can see the positives, but I can also see the negatives.

Near every major out-of-town shopping centre are decimated town centres.

Merry Hill in the West Midlands has resulted in Dudley and West Bromwich having one quarter of their shops empty after most chain stores quit the town centres.

Meadowhall caused the end of Rotherham as a primary shopping town and it’s now just a town centre of tat shops.

While we hear about the success of the Metro Centre, Gateshead town centre must be the most declined in Britain. The big names have gone and the indoor precinct and rows of boarded up shops have been demolished.

The town centre now resembles a heavily bombed town, post-war after ruined buildings were cleared away.

York city centre will survive because of the tourists attracted here, but traders in York, Acomb, Bishopthorpe Road, Haxby, Malton and elsewhere will see declining business.

I would suggest that the Government should put a blanket ban on all new out-of-town shopping centres and to be fair on York we should charge for parking at Monks Cross and all other out-of-town shopping centres for that matter.

If not, we’ll end up a nation of dead town centres.

Dale Edwards, Newborough Street, Bootham, York.