Bob Mozley, who was its producer, asked me to take part. I was at first reluctant as I was a new resident, though I had been visiting Buxton regularly since 1960.

I did participate in the end, and one of the questions Brian Redhead put to me was about the state of neglect of the buildings in this town.

My answer was, 'Yes, but Buxton hasn't made the mistake of rushing into pulling down old buildings, as so many English towns have done since the Second World War, and then replacing them with concrete blocks. Therefore Buxton has been saved by neglect.'

Now, changes have gradually been made - e.g. the Precinct, the Opera House - but it is more than time to move on, and we are being presented with a new ambitious scheme which has much merit.

However, I do have some reservations. Do we really need a large Sainsbury's?

The idea of Sainsbury taking over Kwik Save's old store in Higher Buxton is a good one and would do much to regenerate that area; but I'm not sure we need an even larger Sainsbury as part of the Spring Gardens Precinct.

Towns which have too many of these supermarkets are becoming known as 'Clone Towns', boring, and beginning to put people off.

What we do need is some larger and varied shops in Spring Gardens, and the Charity Shops moved into side-streets. The proposed development of the car park in the Precinct has much to recommend it, but I don't think we need another food store.

We also ought to think about the small shops which have served us well over the years and which lend character and interest to the town. These must be kept and helped to flourish.

I think the High Peak Borough Council needs to look into this project very carefully, visit towns like Bath and come forward with what will be best for Buxton, its businesses, its small shops; and concentrate on retaining its fine old character, so that it can present the best of all worlds to the twenty-first century.

I know this is not an easy thing to do, for the Council is largely dependent on businesses coming forward, but is it not possible to approach some of this country's larger traders who could supply so many of our needs?

For these, at the moment, we have to go out of town - losing a lot of commerce to other areas.

Nora Scott

Devonshire Road

Buxton