Sir,

I hope you will be able to include my thoughts on the recent story you reported concerning the Co-op's planning application in Narberth.

There are many reasons why County Councillor Wynne Evans is wrong to be so pleased at the annoucement that the Co-op has submitted plans for a new store in Narberth. The news is not good for Narberth.

Narberth is already served by two small supermarkets, two butchers, a specialist food shop and a delicatessen. These great local businesses, some of which have won national awards, have enabled Narberth to build a strong reputation. Is a new supermarket really necessary, especially when the Co-op already has an outlet only five miles away?

Pembrokeshire County Council will shortly impose pay-and-display parking on Narberth. How will the existing businesses be able to compete fairly for custom against a new supermarket offering free parking?

Clr. Evans suggests that the new supermarket would create new jobs. However, he fails to account for the number of jobs that will be lost in the existing shops when they are forced to close in the face of this competition.

There will also be a knock-on effect on local suppliers who provide the produce currently sold in many of the existing businesses. And the profits which previously were earned and spent locally by local people running local businesses will now leave the county.

The net outcome is likely to be few new jobs and less money retained in Pembrokeshire's local economy.

Finally, I fail to see any consideration for the environmental impact of building a new supermarket in Narberth. Why waste valuable resources building new premises when sufficient facilities exist already? And Narberth's traffic and parking problems are already well-known - I don't believe a new supermarket will help in this regard.

Clr. Evans needs to look at this development from the perspective of Narberth's existing residents and businesses and think about the impact that this would have on them. I hope he will be able to adequately represent their needs in this matter.

Lee White,

Narberth.