I WRITE with regard to the possibility of free shoppers' parking in Corsham town centre being scrapped.

How many more times do we have to read of the debate on car parking charges?

Surely it should be apparent to anyone with any reasonable education and awareness of their environment that car parking charges destroy town centres.

Free parking encourages local communities to 'pop in'.

Where charges are imposed this freedom of access and availability encourages not just locals but visitors to go elsewhere where they can shop without pressure of time, panic when they discover they haven't got enough small change, or run backwards and forwards through uncovered car parks in adverse weather conditions getting soaking wet before they even start to shop!

Why has Melksham, which is a prime example of the demise of a town by car parking charges been so blatantly ignored? Eighteen years ago Melksham was bustling and busy and quite often it was difficult to find a space to park.

Now the variety of shops is practically non-existent, ever increasing car park charges are imposed and the car park and town is rarely full.

Without small local family based businesses supplying individual types of goods to meet the requirements of their local community there is no character to a town and nobody will bother to visit their centres.

With rates so high and the existence or threat of car parking charges in places such as Melksham, Corsham, Chippenham, Calne, Frome, Trowbridge or any town for that matter where there is usually very limited car parking spaces anyway, there is little chance that these towns will improve or grow in the manner desired.

Will car parks pay for the rates which councils will lose if shopkeepers cannot survive on the minimal turnover they make on very fleeting passing trade?

I urge those involved to think carefully and at least give the opportunity for shoppers to park for free for one or two hours to encourage trade back to these places again.

KATHY TOOGOOD,

Sandpiper Gardens,

Chippenham.