Letter: Shrewsbury must be careful with development

Letter: Shrewsbury, like many other market towns, has had a tough couple of years but does appear to be coming through difficult financial times in reasonably good shape.

There are large companies keen to invest in the town but I do think we need to beware of allowing too many new retail units while we have so many empty shops, particularly in the Riverside Shopping Centre.

Promises of providing new jobs should be treated with caution as we all know that new shops merely take jobs from existing businesses rather than provide completely new work.

Any companies applying for planning permission on the outskirts of town should be told that we only accept food shopping on out-of- town sites as we are keen to protect our town centre.

The proposal from Tesco is a classic example of a company trying to expand its non-food offer and attempting to undermine the viability of the centre of the town.

The next few weeks are a really good time to visit Shrewsbury town centre as the flowers and hanging baskets are at their best and the town is really colourful.

Try to make time to visit The Quarry and Dingle which are now at their very best, and our cafes and bars now offer opportunities to sit outside and enjoy the vitality of the town.

Shrewsbury is in good health and everyone is welcome to enjoy our marvellous town.

Councillor Peter Nutting

Shrewsbury