I HARDLY dare raise this point for fear of being thought a Tavistock Traitor, but here goes! I don't see how having a Sainsbury's would be detrimental to the unique little shops in Tavistock, or the pannier market, which sell totally different products from those in a supermarket.

Many of the independent shops in Tavistock are gift shops, boutiques, jewellers, etc, which surely will have no competition from Sainsbury's, and which will continue to attract tourists into the centre of the town.

Most tourists come here specifically for these lovely little shops, market stalls and cafe's - they are hardly going to spend their day out in an out-of-town supermarket.

It seems to me that the main inhibitor to maintaining a thriving town centre is the cost of the car parking. I would love to be able to pop into town more often, instead of limiting the number of times I drive in, and picking up things I need from Morrisons instead where the parking is free.

Half-price parking for locals who wish to support their town centre (all the year round) would be nice.

V L Aston

St David's, Tavistock