Tenbury should take a leaf from Ludlow's book. Last week’s BBC 2 programme The Town featured our near neighbours Ludlow and gave an excellent history of this ancient market town.

The part I found most interesting was the foresight that Ludlow councillors had when deciding the location of the proposed new Tesco store.

Should it be out of town thus taking people from the town centre and creating another shopping hub or integrated sympathetically into the existing town increasing the number of people coming to Ludlow and keeping shopping and trade within the town centre?

Thank goodness for Ludlow that councillors had the foresight to choose the latter where shoppers come into the town, park for a couple of hours, do some shopping in Tesco and then wonder up the street to support other more specialized traders.

For the sake of all the good traders in Tenbury and the future of the town I sincerely hope that Tenbury adopts the same approach.

I read with dismay of proposals to develop the old market site by making more shops and restaurants moving the museum and tourist information centre and that people can buy shares in this venture.

It all sounds very idyllic but totally impractical.

How are they going to see any return and how is that going to attract more people to the town?

It is simply not sustainable especially when you consider how difficult many traders are already finding business in the town.You only need to look at Leominster to see how an out of town supermarket has reduced the town centre trade to a minimum with many of the shops now standing empty.

We desperately need something to revitalise Tenbury, bring more people in and tidy up a very unsightly part of the town. I think Tesco is our answer.

Mark Yarnold

Burford