Sir, I returned home last year to Tenby to visit family, friends and our most beautiful Tenby town and surrounding countryside. I was delighted to walk into the town, to be greeted by an amazing energy of creativity in the form of the visual and audible. This year, however, I felt that something had been lost. The same musicians played every day, but there were only a few people selling their creative wares. I was so saddened to hear how the council and business people of Tenby had put a stop to this wonderful ambiance. I can fully appreciate how a business can feel pressure by a street trader selling the same goods. However, we are in a free market, so wouldn't this be fair competition? Surely, if the rule applies to get rid of street traders, then the same should apply to the proposed superstore build near New Hedges? Also, many of the goods sold in Tenby are imported, a high proportion, no doubt, from exploited third world workers. Applying the point of the council to this, where is the fairness in this? It appears to me that the local businesses want it all their way, cheap goods from exploited workers and no fair-trade competition from local cultural entrepreneurs. Another point I would like to raise is about the hair braiders and henna tattooists allegedly blocking the Five Arches. This is complete nonsense. They don't take any business from other outlets and add a colourful introduction to Tenby. I feel that this space is used to the best advantage, and the tourists and locals love it. If this Five Arches blockage is the case, then I propose that the seating outside all the cafes and pubs in Tenby also cause an inconvenience and obstruction in the town. Fair's fair!
Sarah J. Morris DipHE AECB, Sustainable Building Consultant,