Now we learn that Waitrose wants to build a supermarket on the Cattle Market car park in Stamford.

Bourne town councillor Helen Powell raised a petition calling for Lidl to take over the empty Budgens store.

Lidl has chosen not to pursue this opportunity – in part, due to lack of store dedicated parking spaces.

Last month Euro Car Parks took over enforcement of three-hour parking at Budgens car park in addition to the two-hour parking restrictions at Sainsbury's.

In Stamford, Sainsbury's application to extend the Focus store has been deferred for a traffic assessment, but have our highways and planning officers seriously considered the impact and issues of car parking at the site?

Sainsbury's will share 280 parking spaces with the other stores in the centre, and create 230 jobs.

Sainsbury's set a precedent in Bourne in July, when staff were told they would no longer be allowed to park in the store car park on Fridays and Saturdays.

This has led to some employees parking in residential streets and in town car parks. Supermarkets can only thrive if there are sufficient free parking places for customers.

Our town centres will only survive if customers and staff from the extended town and rural areas can easily drive to the shops and park their cars.

Bourne town centre is blighted by empty shops, sale signs, boarded-up businesses and a declining core area, earmarked for redevelopment since 2001.

A new supermarket in Ryhall Road, Stamford, will create massive parking and road congestion, especially when combined with New College Stamford and Morrisons traffic, particularly at Christmas time.

Street parking will blight the lives of nearby residents.

Stamford town centre businesses will suffer when motorists abandon all hope of reaching the town to pay exorbitant parking charges for the privilege of shopping in Stamford.

Do our councillors, council exec-utives and highways and planning officers need to be reminded that any perceived or actual benefits and planning gain from developers and supermarkets are short-lived and often superficial?

The consequences of their decisions, for local residents, small businesses and tax payers are permanent.

JOYCE STEVENSON
Obthorpe Lane,
Thurlby