With reference to 'Let's be positive,' Margaret Walker 17/04/09.

If a large number of houses are built to the east of Lydney then Lydney will simply become a housing estate and Lydney as a town will die.

There will be no benefits to the people who live in Lydney at present. The bricks, mortar, timber frames etc for the construction of the houses will be sourced nationally on price. The workers building them will come from anywhere in the EEC.

People buying the new houses will buy their fittings and furnishings via the internet or from the retail parks of Bristol and Cardiff. They will probably clean their own windows. They will buy their milk and newspapers from the supermarket along with most of their food.

The extra 5,000 mouths to feed will in fact put pressure on Lydney's existing supermarkets. Tesco's for example will be too small. A new supermarket will be seen as a profitable development but not in the centre of town because of traffic problems and lack of suitable sites. A new supermarket will be built outside the town close to the A48. We will all go there for our food. We will stop going into Lydney town because the small shops will close – they would rather be in Newnham or Chepstow in any case.

Lydney is an ugly town in comparison with other towns in Gloucestershire. Building developments in the last 20 years have made things worse as has the lack of planning to deal with road traffic. I don't think 5,000 newcomers wil be sauntering into Lydney town to enjoy the pubs, bars, designer shops and the ambiance of the cafe culture. Though there is still hope for Coleford in that respect.

Lydney as a town has probably been dying since The Feathers Hotel was demolished. If a large new housing development goes ahead there will be only problems. There will be no benefits for those already living here.

The final demise of Lydney as a town will soon follow. – Peter Berryman, Claudius Way, Lydney.