THE Times last week had on its front page Nigel Eadie stating that the town doesn't need another supermarket, indeed saying that his case was proven by 'full-time planning professionals.'

But on page 3 you had Bovis's plans for 750 more homes to be built at Monksmead. So that's at least 1,500 to 2,000 more people, an increase of 16%, all requiring among many other things food, petrol and jabs.

Where will they all go, I wonder? Perhaps joining all the Tavistock people I meet doing their weekly or monthly shopping in Callington or Roborough's Tesco.

Going back to Mr Eadie I would be interested to see the facts when he stated that for every one supermarket job created four are lost in the local economy.

It's probably from the 'fully trained planning professionals' — so it should be easy to prove.

D P Hunter

Cox Tor Road, Tavistock

WHEN will our chamber of commerce realise that they cannot force the locals to shop in the centre just by not allowing out of town supermarkets.

Encouraging another supermarket preferably higher end, we already have a lower (Lidl), middle (Morrisons), and working with them would bring shoppers  to Tavistock and reduce the weekly trips away towards Callington, Okehampton, Lauceston and Roborough supermarkets.

This alone would spin off into more shoppers in the centre for the 'niche' requirements, revitalise  the ambience and encourage the social aspect of recreational shopping. Link this to free parking and it would really mean the chamber and the council are sending out a signal and invitation: 'Welcome! Come and shop in vibrant Tavistock, the market town of Dartmoor'.

Finally, I would like to ask all who are purporting to be working on our behalf and for our benefit where do their wives/partners do their ' Big shop ' each week? I bet it 's like most of us, in town for  butchers, bakers,candlestick makers and somewhere out of town for the heavy stuff.

Chris Shaw

Old Exeter Road

Tavistock

ASDA on the outskirts of Tavistock – you cannot be serious!

If this proposal becomes a reality, it is no exaggeration to state that it will be the end of Tavistock as we know it. The independent shops will close and the pannier market will struggle. Tavistock will lose much of its tourist industry as a result. The area around Bishopsmead will become supermarket grotty land and those residents who love Tavistock town the way it is will go.

This scenario is being generated in market towns across the country, which is why national planning guidelines state that supermarkets should not be allowed to proliferate on out of town centre sites.

We always hear the old football that a new supermarket will bring more employment. In contrast, the New Economics Foundation states that for every new job created by a new supermarket more jobs are lost in the local economy. The profits of the supermarket will not re-enter the local economy but will go to the shareholders of a major national and international conglomerate.

A retail study undertaken by Strategic Perspectives in 2012 concluded that there is sufficient capacity to meet demand for supermarket shopping in Tavistock at present and even the need created by the construction of 750 new houses on the Callington Road will be accommodated by allowing an adjacent small convenience store and any development of existing supermarkets. The study also demonstrated that around 86% of central Tavistock residents shop in the Tavistock area for food.

There are good reasons why Sainsburys were refused planning permission on the same site in 2008 and why Asda should also be refused permission.

Gillian Hiles

gm.hiles@

btinternet.com