Sir,

Your correspondent Pat Lewis (last week's 'paper) misunderstands TENBY2020's position on the county council's proposal for a supermarket at New Hedges. We are not opposed to a new supermarket anywhere in the Tenby area, but we do strongly feel that the proposal for one at New Hedges would be very damaging for Tenby.

Our opposition to the New Hedges proposal is based on the experience of a lot of small towns elsewhere in the country, that an out-of-town superstore leads to shop closures in the nearby towns. Pat Lewis says that, despite doing a weekly bulk shop at Pembroke Dock, she regularly shops in Tenby at the butchers, bakers, veg shop, chemists, etc. These are precisely the shops that would be threatened by a new supermarket out-of-town, and I can point to other towns that no longer have any independent butchers, bakers, and veg shops.

If that is what Pat Lewis wants to see happen, then she is right to support New Hedges, but there are lots of people who have said to us that they value our local shops and want to keep them - especially people without their own transport.

TENBY2020 does, however, accept that there is a need for additional supermarket capacity in the area, and we support the proposal to extend the Co-op store in Kilgetty. We also support the emerging proposal for a new supermarket, shops and car park at Francis Yard. Our feeling is that, by having a new supermarket in that location right next to the town centre, it will add to the attractions of the town centre rather ran detract from them. Shoppers will be able to combine supermarket shopping with local shopping in the same trip, and the new car park will help meet shoppers' needs for the whole town centre.

I am sorry that Pat Lewis doesn't know who or what TENBY 2020 is, so let me briefly explain. We were set up four years ago following a conference of many of the voluntary organisations in the town, and the Town Council and others. It was decided at that time there was a need for a new organisation to fight for a better economic future for the town, and we have been doing our best ever since. We hold three public meetings a year in the De Valence, open to all residents and business people of the town, and we have discussed the New Hedges proposal at the last three or four such meetings. Everyone is welcome, and the next one is on Thursday, November 6, at 7.30 pm. Pat Lewis please come and have your say!

Finally, I would like to repeat my call for contributions to our fighting fund. They have started to come in, but we need much more. Please send your donations to me, c/o the Nat West Bank in Tudor Square, making any cheques out to 'TENBY2020 Fighting Fund'. Thank you.

Christine Brown,

Treasurer,

TENBY 2020,

'Prince of Wales',

Upper Frog Street,

Tenby.