I am writing regarding the article in the Gazette & Herald on August 5, concerning plans to build on the Central car park in Devizes. This is absolute lunacy!

It reports that the 162 spaces will be replaced by 70 in the Station Road car park, resulting in a loss of 84 spaces. When I was at school 162 minus 70 was 92!

It also says that parts of Maryport Street and Sidmouth Street would close to traffic; this means that even more spaces would actually go!

I assume the expectation is that shoppers walk up the (relatively) steep hill from Station Road, (many with small children in tow, or else

elderly), buy what they want, lug their heavy bags, or wheel their trolley back down the hill, load the car, wheel the trolley back to the supermarket (to recover the £1 coin they had to put in to get the trolley), then walk back to the car, in the meantime exceeding their parking time or is the idea to increase parking revenue by making people stay longer?

The consultants are quoted as saying that "the Station Road car park is under used"; of course it is look where it is in relation to the shops!

I note that the various 'big names', mentioned are prepared to consider opening here; they haven't said that they would come to Devizes, only that they would think about it. However, as the obvious aim would be to attract more people into the town to shop, isn't there a good chance, once the time comes to commit, that these retailers would decline, on the basis that high levels of traffic, combined with fewer parking places, less conveniently located, would, in fact, keep people away?

Devizes is congested enough much of the day; actually, it's frequently gridlocked, to a large extent with through-traffic. Until the subject of a by-pass is addressed, how is it intended to cope with the desired influx of shoppers, which will only make matters worse?

The access routes leading to the Station Road car park do not lend themselves to higher levels of traffic and getting out into the main roads could be nigh on impossible at times, the continuous stream of vehicles thereon having right of way. This can be bad now, when exiting the Central car park; it would be even worse with the number of vehicles the consultants want to use Station Road.

Whilst it might be good to encourage well-known major stores into the town, I do not believe that Devizes could cope. Perhaps when a by-pass is built?

D. Myers

Market Lavington