Sir,

After reading that a start is to be made, at long last, to the redevelopment of the town centre, I got to wondering how many of the existing retailers there will remain once it is completed. One shop owner told me that rents are reasonably cheap for existing shops, but will rise significantly for new units. Looking around at the many purveyors to our various ethnic communities, I just can't see them surviving if rents rise. But if they do rise who will the new shopkeepers be? I doubt if they'll be many takers, so then rents will come down again and our town centre will permanently revert to being a haven for budget shops.

In the meanwhile I see that the former 'While Stocks last' shop has now been taken by a Polish supermarket.

Regards, Les Mathews