Michael Baker, of Bigbury Court, Bigbury, writes:

I would like to endorse the points made in Michael Carr’s excellent letter, Gazette, December 9, regarding planning and development in Kings­bridge and the continued decline of the town centre.

For a start, may we please request a considered response from South Hams Council to all the issues he has raised. We need to know, for example, whether those responsible for overseeing the future of our towns and villages actually recognise and acknowledge the problems Mr Carr has raised, and more importantly what they are doing about them.

However, I fear that the problem is much worse. The reality is that the internet, mobile phones and associated technologies are progressively destroying our villages, high streets, health (especially our children’s), personal security and national security.

We all know about the benefits that modern technology can bring, but little attention is given to the negatives – and there are many.

The decline of Kingsbridge is there for all to see: banks are closing, charity shops multiply and, as Mr Carr said, the introduction of a Spar and Subway is hardly progress, especially as what they offer is already well catered for in the town.

Much of the character of Kingsbridge is associated with its fascinating range of individual and specialist shops. But one by one they are likely to disappear over the next 10 years, and if so Kingsbridge will lose much of its appeal for both tourists and locals alike.

But there are things that can and should be done to prevent the decline in Kingsbridge as well as all its outlying villages, where pubs, shops and ­restaurants are closing and post offices are increasingly threatened.

Come on South Hams Council, there is a major ­challenge here, and we, the people who provide your finance, need to know what you are doing about it.