MADAM, Last week's Gazette highlighted Tesco's submission of plans for a new store in Ross, following a public consultation event and includes their "Statement of Community Involvement". To me their submission forms part of a three-sided constellation of lunacy as regards this proposal. The "Statement of Community Involvement" compiled the views of 269 people or 2.6% of the population of Ross (c. 10,000 people) into three groups - 165 people or 1.6% in favour; 80 people or 0.8% against; and 24 people or 0.2% undecided. How can a consultation of 2.6% of the population with only 1.6% in favour constitute any objective, scientific or common sense measurement of the views of our town? I urge the planning officers at the council to throw out this wholly spurious and weak consultation.

The Association of Ross Traders (ART) provides the second and third parts of my constellation of lunacy on this matter. In their wisdom, and following "positive discussions" with representatives of Tesco, they decided not to voice an organisational opinion on the proposed development but to do so as individual traders. This stance can only have been agreed upon due to serious and unresolved internal divisions about the development, and rather than a show of strength on either side of the debate, they chose to passively sit on the fence. At least if ART was in favour of Tesco, they could provide a lead for the townsfolk to follow....but no...they chose instead to opt of out leadership on this matter.

However ART did come up with a new slogan recently urging us to Shop in Ross / Shop Locally to preserve the distinctive nature of the town - the third part of the constellation of lunacy. Why urge us to shop locally when you have backed out of challenging Tesco coming to the town? People generally won't shop locally when Tesco are here...they'll go to the new supermarket, and local traders will suffer.

Daniel Thomas

Archenfield Rd

Ross