HAVING also benefited from the friendly and efficient service of Miller's Tyre Centre, I have every sympathy with the views expressed by our correspondent, Mr Thompson, this week but I feel I must defend Malvern Hills District Council.

The council is well aware of the need for more small specialist shops in Great Malvern and is actively working with traders and others in the community, like ourselves, to make changes in the town centre that will attract both tourists and the new businesses the extra trade will bring with it.

One of those changes is the possibility of creating a more attractive 'link' between Waitrose and the town centre. The idea of making a 'town square' on the site of the car park above Somerfield was first mooted by MHDC in its Great Malvern Town Strategy of 1996.

The biggest failing of that strategy is that it was, to a large extent, built on the premise that bringing Waitrose to town would be enough on its own to regenerate the centre.

In one sense those who fought so hard for Waitrose should be quite pleased with the recent report, which showed the store had been successful in bringing more shoppers into Great Malvern and that many of those new shoppers were also visiting other shops in the centre.

Where that strategy fell down was in not putting enough emphasis on the importance of providing a major indoor attraction in Great Malvern to give visitors something to do in town.

As council leader Tom Wells said at the first meeting of the new Town Centre Partnership, to make a real difference is going to take courageous leadership.