I WISH to respond to Mr Taylor's letter regarding development at the Bond Worth site in Stourport.

Yes, Councillor Little does listen to his constituents but I feel it is unfair on the rest of the town council to say that only a few listen.

I listen and took the first opportunity I could in council to raise the matter of Tesco and the Bond Worth site.

I was, in fact, the second, Councillor Little being a much more experienced and articulate councillor than I am, as usual, managed to say his piece first.

A one-sided debate followed when all councillors deplored the possibility of a large supermarket, selling everything from canned soup to television sets, robbing the independent High Street traders of business.

This suggests that other councillors listen too.

Taking Mr Taylor's point further, if all the regular shops were to go, there would be little point in walking up the High Street and hence the charity shops and building societies would also suffer.

I would point out that there was a feeling that a slightly larger Tesco replacing the one we have would be an advantage as it could stock a slightly larger range of foodstuffs but, as I have already implied, only foodstuffs.

DON GILES

Stourport town councillor

Lodge Road, Stourport

HAVING noted David Little's opposition to Tesco's involvement in developing the now redundant site of Carpets of Worth, what is the alternative?

I do have some reservations about superstores in general but would such a development in Stourport make much of a difference to existing small traders?

Our High Street is a shadow of its former self - in the town centre we have four banks, five estate agents, two building societies, two factory shop outlets, six charity shops, eight cafes, four fish and chip shops, six ethnic food outlets, 10 public houses, four opticians, three chemists and 10 hairdressers.

Is Tesco's active in these areas?

We still have many pedestrian shoppers - not everyone has a car - and we would like to protect our small town centre businesses. One or two still belong to the families who established them( ie Beards, Blunts, Bentleys and Grinnalls) and we still appreciate the personal attention and service they offer.

If some reduction in council taxes were offered to this type of business they would probably manage to survive in today's cut-throat world.

My major worry regarding the proposed development is the larger and larger traffic problem and I hope sufficient thought will be given to getting it right and making sure we do not build in further problems.

Mrs TERRY GREEN

Windermere Way, Stourport

I WOULD like to endorse the letter "Asked for opinion and then ignored (July 20)" regarding Stourport.

As a resident of some 60-plus years in Severn Road I have a lot of local knowledge. Everything that Mr Danks said in his letter is true.

I would like to add that more and more residential areas have been created but facilities have not kept pace with them.

Obviously the local council are responsible for planning permission but have failed to provide the required level of amenities.

It would seem that they are more interested in stimulating tourism at the expense of local residents, although I am certain our councillors will deny this.

When it comes to finance, we are told there are insufficient funds for this and that.

I am a firm believer in the war memorial, but what an overspend on the park gates (£60,000) and now we are talking about robes for all our town councillors.

How disgusting , especially as Stourport pays one of the highest council taxes in Wyre Forest.

Finally, I personally believe a decision has been made and a supermarket and houses are coming to the Carpets of Worth site irrespective of the lack of new infrastructure (the relief road is not on any agenda until 2016).

I am Stourport born and bred, and served the town as a fire officer for 33 years

MIKE REES

Severn Road, Stourport

FOR a town which has regeneration as its current buzz word, I'm appalled at the current state of our Stouport streets.

Whilst we are supposed to celebrate all the new plans for upgrading the town to attract visitors to our midst, we can't even get the basics right.

On any day, our town centre streets are streaked with stains, dirt and miscellaneous detritis of dubious origin.

Can't our council tax pay for some basic hygiene and get our streets hosed down and disinfected (a common practice in most European countries) before they become a health hazard?

L TOBIAS

Lichfield Street

Stourport