SO, OUR councillors are happier to risk the clear chance of losing nearly 200 jobs at Beagle, rather than risk the loss of a little trade from the High Street.

On Thursday night Christchurch Planning Committee did not believe their consultants that some shoppers would combine a trip to the supermarket with a visit to the town centre, or that they would do it rather more often from the proposed Morrisons site than from Sainsbury’s on the outside edge of town.

They also ignored the advice of their own officers and disputed the figures of their consultants.

And one fact they used to do that was that one of them took 10 minutes to walk from Stoney Lane to the High Street.

I can do it in about five minutes and I am 70 years old!

However, these same councillors have already agreed two supermarkets (Bailey & Meteor) that their consultants (yes, those same consultants) say will take about £5million in trade from the town centre.

STEVE GODLEY, Smugglers Wood Road, Christchurch