A NINE-year-old girl has joined those fighting plans for a new Waitrose store in Marlow.

Helen Record has written a protest letter calling for the application to be scrapped and more than a dozen classmates have signed it in support.

Helen, from Marlow, said: "It is something I have talked about with my friends and they agree with me that Waitrose is being too greedy.

"I felt it was important to write. I have as much right to have my say as any adult because my friends and I will be the ones living in Marlow in the future."

The pupils at Danesfield School joined The Marlow Society, the Marlow Chamber of Trade and The Marlow Group in objecting to the controversial scheme.

The Riley Road development the biggest Marlow has seen for decades would cover 56,000 sq ft and includes a 25,000 sq ft store, six extra shops and 15 houses or flats.

The district council's development control committee is due to give a ruling on it later this year.

Helen who enjoys playing the violin and horseriding wrote the letter, which includes the line "keep my words in your head and do what is right for the people of Marlow", after hearing members of her family discussing the proposal.

Her stepmother, Julie Wealthall, 46, of Stoney Ware, said: "Helen did this completely of her own choosing.

"We'd had a family discussion around the kitchen table one evening about the Waitrose plans and days later she told us she'd typed a letter expressing her own thoughts."

"She lives in an adult world, but has a child's perspective on things.

"She loves Marlow and doesn't want it to change."

Meanwhile, a scale-model meant to represent the proposed development is on view, in Burgers, High Street.

Mike Post, from The Marlow Group, made the 1:100 replica, to "help people grasp the bulk and scale of the proposed development."

Waitrose said they couldn't comment on the model as they had not seen it but welcomed Helen's comments.

A spokesman said: "We are glad that Helen is taking a keen interest in her town."

She added that an independent study had shown Marlow was not well served for food shopping and the town was losing trade as a result.

The spokesman added: "Our new food shop will be modest in scale and will benefit Marlow, standing alongside other established retailers in the town."