Letter: Supermarkets: have the country towns reached saturation point?

Sir: Hurrah for Stroud] (Architecture, 18 August). I live in Shoreham- by-Sea, at the north of the town, in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which was farm and downland. We now have a Tesco, Marks & Spencer and McDonald's, to name but a few. However, not content with that, the developers are dangling a carrot in front of a school nearby, saying: 'If you move, we will build you a beautiful new school.' Where? Well, on another piece of downland and AONB. Then they can add the school site to the already vast metropolis they have created.

In our small town all the shops have been devastated by the superstores, but we did win one reprieve. Tesco fought to get a pharmacy, but there was such an outcry that it withdrew its application.

How can they call themselves 'environmentally friendly' when they take over green areas and push more motorists on to the roads? All I can say to Stroud is fight hard.

Yours faithfully,

GRETEL GRAVILLE

Shoreham-by-Sea, Sussex