There is a plan to build anew supermarket onthe edge of the Sunview housing complex, onthe land where the local library is now. I live in Sunview, and I would like to express my concern about this plan. It is not that I am completely against the idea of building a supermarket. I just think that a community we need to weigh the advantages and disadvantages before committing ourselves. It is clear that the library is underused and in poor condition. It is also clear that there are very few stores near here, and a supermarket would be a good thing to have. But the people whi want to build the supermarket seem to think that on one wants the library anymore and that it isn't needed because of the lnternet and so on. Is this necessarily true, especially for elderly people? What about young people who don't have lnternet at home and need to go to the library to do their homework? Where can they study if they have to sharee a room with a younger brother or sister?
On the other hand, there is an argument that a new supermarket would not only bring more choice of shopping and more convenience for local residents, but it would also bring some much-needed jobs for younger people in the town, and this is a good point.
What we need to do is consider the effect a supermarket will have on our quality of life. Certainly the residents of the housing complex (including me) will find shopping a lot easier and more convenient. But there will also be more traffic. In a few years from now, the roads in and around the complex will be full of cars in the daytime and delivery trucks st night, and, not only that, we will have gotten used to it, too. Are more jobs and more convenience worth such an impact on our daily lives? Perhaps, but this what we have to ask ourselves.
I believe that all the reaidents of Sunview, and the local authorities, need to discuss this questio in an open-minded way-and I hope that by the time a decision is made, we will have had a full and fair discussion of the issues involved, and that the local authorities will have really listened to everyone's views. Is that too much to ask?
Sincerely
Tom Waykins