The people of Tenbury and district should be grateful to you for alerting them to Tesco's renewed threat to their town.

Local people might have hoped that Tesco would respect their democratically expressed wishes and take their store elsewhere.

(In an attempt to gauge local opinion, the campaign g roup Tenbury Futures found that 75 per cent of those who were interested opposed the building of a supermarket on the former Cattle Market site in Tenbury.) But no. It seems that, despite the recent rejection of their plans by the District Council, Tenbury Town Council and the overwhelming majority of local people, the good people of Tenbury must bow to the “inevitability” of a supermarket on the site.

Your article reports that they must accept this as “inevitable”

because of an unholy alliance between the supermarket giant Tesco and the owner of the site who wants to obtain maximum value for it, with the backing of someone who has given your reporter his views.

Opposition to Tesco's plans was not limited to the proposed design of the store, although I believe it was dreadful.

The main opposition was because of what the plans would do to our town by destroying the character of Tenbury by driving the small traders who are Tenbury's backbone out of business.

The country is littered with small country towns whose hearts have been torn out by the advent of supermarkets which have overwhelmed their local traders.

No doubt, these too would have had the support of g reedy landowners and self-styled experts.

Despite what your article reports, this is not “nevitable”

for Tenbury. But the people of Tenbury must ensure that their voices are listened to.

RL Hughes

Bickley Tenbury Wells