HAVING to battle my way across Parliament Street recently, I am bemused by the city traders who complain that restricted access to certain roads has led to a drop in trade. How many more people can be squeezed into York?

However, a more serious concern of mine is the lobby which makes trade the be-all and end-all of our beautiful city.

Although we need business, this should not be at the expense of York being a place where we can safely walk and cycle and have time to appreciate its great history.

In the 1960s there was a lobby for knocking down ‘old’ buildings to create space for land development. It was argued that supermarkets, car parks, etc, were good for the economy.

Fortunately York Civic Trust and other societies could influence the council to cease that destruction.

Rose Berl, De Little Court, Vine Street, York.