WITH regard to the long running story on should we or shouldn't we have a supermarket on the former Focus Do All site: I ran a very successful business from the Plymouth Road estate for over 20 years, in that time I not only increased the size of the workplace but, more importantly, increased the size of my workforce, and since my days the business continues to grow. 

As you can imagine, trying to build a company into a very good company takes a lot of hard work and very long hours, so when different companies move in and out of the estate it's of great interest as to whether it's a plus for all that work in that area.

When planning permission was first given to allow Focus Do It All to build a new site at the entrance to Plymouth Road estate on what was becoming a redundant former factory site our hopes were raised as Focus would move down the road to the new site and a new company would move into the old Focus building but (I'm not sure if the people of Tavistock know this!) West Devon's planners decided to remove the retail permission off the old building. 

My advice if you care to take it, would be firstly to West Devon, make your minds up, is it a retail park or isn't it?  If you think back some 25 or so years ago to the days of the DIY company Madleys they sold their goods as retail.

When I opened Tavistock Tyres I was told by West Devon I could trade, but no retail permission was given so we opened on a wing and a prayer. 

You have some very good people trying to make a living on this estate so come on, West Devon, sort yourselves out, give the Plymouth Road Estate the retail permission it needs to become the gateway to Tavistock.  

May I suggest the chamber team put more energy into sorting out a far bigger problem than that of an out of town supermarket: car parks and the massive traffic problem.

My wife and I went shopping in Tavistock town centre last Thursday and having first queued for ten minutes in Plymouth Road we then tried to park near the centre as we had two big boxes to pick up. Our driving and parking adventure from Drake's Statue took over 30 minutes. 

Just a thought for the good people of Tavistock: next time you are shopping in Tesco, Waitrose or Sainsburys, have a look around and see how many of your fellow shoppers represent West Devon or the chamber of commerce!

Yours, a frustrated pro-Tavistock man!

Simon Allen

via email

l On the issue of retail use on the Plymouth Road estate, West Devon Borough Council supplied the Times with the following clarification:

'As part of the new Focus development in 2007, a S106 was agreed, turning the original Focus building at the top of Plymouth Road Industrial Estate to a B1/B8 use (light industrial/storage and distribution) within three months of the first use of the new Focus building.

'Subsequently in 2008, WDBC granted permission for half of this building to be converted to A1 use (retail) subject to conditions prohibiting the sale of food and fashion items.'