Independent traders are key to communities

I READ with interest and found heartening the article in The Citizen encouraging people to shop at local independent businesses (June 26).

- Jas Quedgeley

Independent traders are in many ways the lifeblood of our towns and cities and it's particularly encouraging to see ambitious developments such as Food Dock at Gloucester Docks.

This excellent development of a dozen or so independent cafes, bars and restaurants really is something that the city should be proud of, and importantly Food Dock and the more corporate Gloucester Quays appear to compliment each other well, drawing people into the central area of the city, helping drive mutual footfall in what could be considered a virtuous circle.

However, the cloud on the horizon for local traders in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Tewkesbury must be the large retail development due to open soon just off the M5.