I REALLY am beginning to wonder if there's a national conspiracy to totally alienate our little town of Tavistock. Beginning with the Prime Minister in London, who seems to want to double it in size, possibly so he can find it more easily on the map, to the plans of Plymouth Corporation to ensnare the town in its urban net. In-between are the retail giants, Sainsbury's and now Lidl, anxious to locate here and broaden their customer base at the expense of the existing small businesses which make Tavistock the special place it is. The transformation of Tavistock into just another soulless spread of modern concrete with nothing at its core, would be a terrible tragedy for West Devon. Our elected councillors have it in their power to prevent this happening and we trust they will deal with these issues wisely, bearing in mind the future and the town's ultimate survival. The first step to combat the lure of the supermarkets is to provide more parking. There is a pressing need for another car park. A multi-storey somewhere would be ideal and why not in the car park above the river where the height would be softened by the natural rise of the rocks in that area? Yes, there is a short walk to the shops, but it is very pleasant and I would have thought well within most people's capability. Few of us want to see Tavistock destroyed by political wrangling and corporate greed, but if wrong decisions are reached in the council chamber, if most certainly will be. Mrs Jill Stewart-Rattray James Road Whitchurch
