I read with interest the article in the Advertiser (04/10/07) regarding development proposals for Spring Gardens.

I should like to make the following observations based upon facilities we have and those we do not have in our "Traditional Market Town".

We have the following:

• A wide range of supermarkets - Aldi, Morrisons, Co-op, Iceland, Tesco Express, Food from Marks & Spencer, Waitrose and the shortly to be opened Sainsbury Local.

• Several hotels, good bed and breakfast accommodation, holiday lets and the planned development in the Crescent.

• Traffic tailbacks not just across Fairfield Common, but also along St John's Road and Macclesfield Road (particularly on fine weekends).

What do we do? I, like the majority of my friends, shop locally for all my food shopping and, until redevelopment by the Council, I used to frequent the market stalls on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

We do not have the following:

• A modern department store - I am of the view that this is where "shopping leakage" occurs and not in food shopping. Indeed, people from neighbouring villages and towns come into Buxton to food shop. Conversely, if I want household items, furnishings etc I do go to Macclesfield, Stockport, Manchester or Cheadle Royal because I do not feel there is a choice to shop locally. My friends behave in a similar manner.

• Parking is scarce and expensive - we pay 80p per hour in Spring Gardens compared with 30p and 40p in Macclesfield and Knutsford for example. However, when Spring Gardens car park is full, the surrounding roads become gridlocked. Further, shoppers park in residential roads, inconveniencing local residents.

• We do not have the road infrastructure to support the proposed developments (particularly a hotel with visitors staying for several nights).

• We do not have any proper proposals to ensure Higher Buxton continues and its traders are not disadvantaged even though we do have some excellent local shops there. Further, if we are to continue to describe ourselves as a "Traditional Market Town" we need to actively encourage market traders back to our town.

• New housing developments have been springing up over the past few years and yet we still do not have decent leisure facilities, particularly facilities that are attractive to young people.

Surely it would be more appropriate to view any proposed development from the position of what we lack rather than from what we already have plenty of choice in. I feel that the starting point must be with our, already stretched, road infrastructure, the lack of facilities for an increasing number of young people, the need to revitalise our twice-weekly market and ensure the continued livelihood of our traders in Higher Buxton.