Not everyone wants to destroy our town centres.

It would be a mistake to welcome the proposals to extend Sainsbury's in Kidlington without realising the consequences (Oxford Mail, August 11).

I am delighted that Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has decided to hold a new public inquiry into the application to expand Sainsbury's by 41 per cent.

Kidlington has three supermarkets, and these plans would probably result in one of the two village centre stores closing.

Already, 96 per cent of Sainsbury's customers come by car, compared with only 57 per cent in Kidlington centre. The proposed catchment area for the extended store includes the city centre, Cumnor, Botley, Woodstock and Tackley.

You can't, on the one hand, complain that town centre stores and village post offices are closing, or that traffic around the ring road is a nightmare, while complaining that John Prescott is unfairly interfering to check that it is such a good thing.

For a store that has reduced its opening hours three times in the past few months, it is a bit rich to claim it is doing so well it needs to expand.

To cram yet more cars into what even Cherwell admits is a 'very poorly laid out' car park, crossing a 'soon-to-be-built' bus lane, is also asking for trouble. ANDREW HORNSBY-SMITH (Councillor), Kidlington South, Cherwell District Council