FURTHER to your recent reporting on the endeavours of Aldi to open a store on the London Road I would like to highlight the following.

I am totally in support of the proposal from Aldi. Salisbury needs a supermarket on this side of the city.

Many years ago, Asda applied to open a store on the London Road but were turned down by the old Salisbury District Council.

Refusals of this type have stifled competition, added to traffic, and have led to Salisbury being labelled a “Tesco Town” in the national press.

Thankfully, Wiltshire Council will have the last say on this development and may take a more pragmatic view.

I notice that the public are broadly in favour of an Aldi, and a proposed second attempt at an Asda on the London road. I am surprised to hear Salisbury City Council is against the plans, citing traffic reasons.

Well, let’s wake up and smell the coffee, we all have to shop, and supermarket presence on the eastern approaches would certainly free up the ring road somewhat from “Tesco traffic”.

I think that Aldi’s plans for three stores in a town of Salisbury’s size are commendable.

The big four have shelved many of their mega store proposals recently and we appear to be moving away from super large stores and towards smaller stores. This is common sense and would lead to greater choice and a more localised store network with the consequential decrease in car journeys, expense, traffic jams and pollution, all of which I don’t think does much to attract tourism or even business investment into Salisbury.

Simon Sherbington

Salisbury