Supermarket plan will cost Portland people their livelihoods

Two years doing a BTEC in performing arts, a handful of LAMDA qualifications and an unconditional, though regretfully unaccepted, place at Middlesex University for a BA in performing arts and now finally, someone notices me for my thespian abilities.

Your touching accolade of ‘Drama Queen’ brought a smile to my face and a tear of nostalgia to my eye. Thank you. One small criticism though; you failed to mention anything pertinent with regards to your defence of Mr Morris and his opinion on the proposed Bottomcombe development.

Your reminiscences over years gone by and the traffic that was prevalent then, fails to compare with the traffic nightmare that will assail this island if the development goes through.

You mentioned that when the MoD facilities were open they would bring hundreds of extra cars to the roads of Portland everyday.

This development could bring hundreds an hour, so your homily of several hundred people turning up to work of a morning at the MOD, then at the end of the working day getting back into their cars and going home again, is nothing in comparison to the volume that we could receive.

A working day takes on average eight or nine hours, a shopping trip decidedly shorter and then it is straight back on the road. Supermarkets are designed for high turnover and high volume of customers. The size of the proposed development surely indicates that they are not just anticipating custom solely from this island, but from across the causeway as well and this is where the traffic will come from.

It won’t stay, do a hard days work and leave in an orderly fashion, it will be constant, from opening till close. This is our future, the one that you and Mr Morris attest will be good for us all.

Now let’s get ‘bolshie’, to use your charming epithet. If Mr Morris is such a decent and true Portlander, then how can he support a development that will ultimately cost people their livelihoods?

Coun Don Roach, Portland.