ALDI may be impatient to build a store in Stroud.

Perhaps the intervention of the Merrywalks shopping centre developer which caused the deferral by SDC in April was a cynical move.

We have not heard any more about the £10 million investment in Merrywalks that appeared to be at risk if Aldi was allowed to build in Stroud.

However, the public support for the Aldi supermarket seems to be prompted by a wish to have a low cost competitor to the three big names already in town and not by a sense of good town planning.

The Bath Road Trading estate is a designated employment zone and though supermarkets claim to offer employment there is a qualitative difference between skilled manufacturing work and supermarket work.

If the Bath Road site is allowed to become a shopping zone then it will complete the ring around Stroud of supermarkets and potentially other chain stores and this will lower the footfall within Stroud town centre, leading to yet more lost shops.

A good planning practice would try to reinforce the town centre attraction for shoppers and a medium sized supermarket such as Aldi in a central location would serve the community better, drawing in customers and making the supermarket accessible to non car owners who use public transport.

There could be a case for steering Aldi towards Merrywalks for their new store, but there are other sites in the centre of town in need of redevelopment close to public car parks and bus services.

It would be good to see planning officers being more proactive, they do need to support the development of Merrywalks complex but they could steer Aldi to look at more socially beneficial sites.

Perhaps we should not be too disappointed if the planning application is refused in July David Austin (RIBA) Nailsworth