THE idea to build an eco-town in the York/Harrogate/Leeds triangle is nonsensical. An expanding York cannot be drawn into a conurbation with the West Riding, which is already too big.

No, if you want an answer to the problem of more houses, then go east.

There are 40 miles of sparsely populated land between York and Hull. One could nearly build New York twice in such an area.

Build a town half way, centred on Market Weighton, with its infrastructure already in place, widen the York/Hull road, reopen the railway line between Beverley and York via Market Weighton, and build a short railway line from Market Weighton to Staddlethorpe (eight miles) to connect with the Hull/Doncaster/ Knaresborough and Hull/Selby/Leeds/Liverpool lines.

Get rid of the tolls on the Humber Bridge and you have a vibrant new town with everything in place.

There will be some loss of agricultural land, but if three million houses are required this is to be expected.

Yorkshire is very large and can absorb this loss. No doubt farmers will complain, but they have had it good for the past 70 years.

R Locker, Walney Road, Heworth, York.