I WAS present at the recent meeting with Sainsburys, organised by Ivan Lewis, when the petition against closure of their Prestwich store was presented.

While everyone who attended the meeting spoke of their disappointment at Sainsburys' decision, it was interesting to hear their reasons for closing the store and their desire to be involved in what happens to the future of the store and the surrounding area.

While it is not appropriate for Sainsburys to comment on Tesco, it is clear that this development has had a major bearing on the closure of Sainsburys' Prestwich store. While we cannot turn the clock back and alter the decision of the then Secretary of State Michael Howard, who approved the application, we do now have the power to prevent the expansion of this store from undermining efforts to regenerate the centre of Prestwich. There is not an infinite level of demand for retailing in the Prestwich area and if the Tesco scheme is allowed there will not be enough capacity to support new retail development locally. It is inconceivable that developers, or a potential occupier, will be serious about making any commitment to invest in Prestwich centre while the Tesco application is outstanding.

If Prestwich centre is to have a viable future as a retail centre then this application must be refused.

Over the past 15 years, local planning and highway policies and actions have assisted the operation of the Tesco store, with Bury New Road widened and a new junction provided to give access. At the same time, Prestwich centre has had no investment, the car park has never been properly managed and its environment has deteriorated, particularly for pedestrians.

The neglect of the local environment has been a critical issue in undermining the viability of Prestwich because it is much more reliant on pedestrian trade and attracting trade from those who are seeking a different shopping experience than that offered in very large superstores.

Local centres that offer a high quality environment, containing a mix of uses, can also provide a successful location for retailers, and this should be our aim for Prestwich centre.

We are now at a critical time in terms of the future of Prestwich town centre and recent proposals by the council to improve the area, together with initiatives such as the Quality Bus Corridor, could start to turn the fortunes of what is still essentially a viable centre. Unlike the Tesco store, Prestwich centre provides important community facilities as well as retail and other services; it is also accessible by pedestrians and all forms of public transport.

There is now a real opportunity to start to turn this centre around if the council can be bold enough to take a much more pro-active role regarding the whole of the area around the Longfield precinct.

The Tesco application is one of the last remnants of the great out-of-town shopping retail free-for-all which started in the 1980s, and which has caused so much damage to our town and district centres and communities generally. This policy has been a major generator of traffic congestion and has left many communities devoid of any real choice and, in some cases, access to food shops.

The proposals to expand retailing on the Tesco site should now be laid firmly to rest so that we can get on with planning a town centre for the next 30 years.

GILLIAN BOYLE,

Prestwich Residents Assn.