Having attended the planning meeting last Tuesday, I, too, was very disappointed with the outcome of this meeting relating to all the applications. The representations from the public both supporting and opposing the supermarket applications were of a hig

Having attended the planning meeting last Tuesday, I, too, was very disappointed with the outcome of this meeting relating to all the applications. The representations from the public both supporting and opposing the supermarket applications were of a high quality, yet I felt as if the decision had already been made before the start of the meeting. I was also disappointed to learn after the meeting that the people of Seaton's right to express their views so publicly outside the town hall before the meeting took place, was summed up by one Sidmouth councillor as "they are digging their own grave".

However, the public are far more powerful than just their efforts in trying to influence the outcome of these applications. We are all consumers at the end of the day and we vote with our wallets and feet. If you don't want to shop in Tesco, don't. We still have a Co-op that is beginning to get its act together in terms of the array of produce it offers, there are still some fantastic independent shops in Seaton - the butchers and the greengrocers, for example. And we have two excellent newsagents that offer a wider array of stock than any supermarket does.

I personally don't shop in Tesco; Sainsburys I occassionally shop in when I am in Exeter with a car, Waitrose is too expensive and Morrisons is too far away. But I do recognise that I am not forced to shop in particular businesses and remain loyal to them. Times are hard and getting the most satisfaction from value for money and quality of service is now more important than ever. If Tesco or any other business doesn't appeal to you shop elsewhere, its that simple.

David Morgan

Churston Rise

Seaton