THE chairman of the heritage group, Trust for Devizes, has branded the findings of town planning consultants Gillespies as "nave and ill-informed".

The company is carrying out a consultation process for Kennet District Council on the future of the centre of Devizes and held two public exhibitions on the Urban Development Framework this summer.

In the October edition of the trust's newsletter, chairman Jeff Ody writes: "Their conclusions were not encouraging, being both nave and ill-informed about the workings of the town.

"Their curious logic is that retailing at present clings around the attraction of the Tesco car park, so this car park should be built over with a new store, and the loss of parking partly replaced with a multi-storey structure at Station Road.

"Apart from the impractical walking distances involved, this would also require all shoppers from the new eastern suburbs to drive past Safeway, round Gains Lane, New Park Street and Northgate to the Nursery end of Station Road to reach the new car park."

Mr Ody also hits out at the district council's "glacial" rate of developing North Gate, where little has been accomplished since the council's last commercial partner, Phoenicia Barr, pulled out at the beginning of the year.

Although the district council owns the freehold of the entire site, it has not been able to further development of the area, roughly bounded by New Park Street, Snuff Street and Northgate Street.

Peter Lay, chairman of Devizes Development Partnership, favours the redevelopment of the central car park between Tesco and Somerfield.

He is keen that the focus of retail development stays in the area around The Brittox, Maryport Street and Sidmouth Street.