I SHOULD like the opportunity to reply to two recent letters in the Free Press from two Marlow residents who have written to support Waitrose's plans for Marlow.

Mr Gill complained (Letters, May 20) that my model of the proposed Waitrose development, which is presently on display in Burgers, makes the development "look big". But the model is to scale.

The two new buildings, the store, and the block of flats over the shops, look big because they are big. Look at their bulk and height in comparison to the existing Iceland store.

The existing Waitrose building, apart from its listed front and a thin guard rail above it, is all but invisible from West Street. In contrast, as the model reveals, the new "Milton Keynes" style development would be clearly visible for over 50 metres along the south pavement of West Street, looming behind the listed cottages and shops like an alien aircraft hangar there are over 100 listed buildings in West Street.

It is such "back developments", with which Mr Gill is comfortable, which have assisted in the destruction of the character of many English country towns, some not far distant from Marlow.

Marlow-born Cindy-Lee Hyde complains (Letters, June 3) that I did not ask her personally whether or not "most Marlovians want a modest sized new Waitrose without any compulsory purchase".

She is correct that I did not ask her personally. But Wycombe District Council, through the statutory planning process, did. It has invited representations to be made commenting on Waitrose's proposals. All of these representations are in the public domain and may be inspected on the excellent WDC website.

Well over 1,600 are against Waitrose's plans and commonly expressed observations are that a reasonable extension to Waitrose would be acceptable. This view has also recently been expressed by Marlow's district councillors Anson, Collingwood and Wilson in their excellent joint letter of objection dated May 27.

Such observations, as well as distaste for the proposal that Wycombe District Council should compulsorily purchase Sawyers for the benefit of Waitrose, have been made by numerous Marlovians both at town council meetings and at the Marlow Town Meeting which was called specifically to discuss the Waitrose plans.

At the latter, only Mr Gill and the Marlow-born, I believe, John Lewis communications director voted to support Waitrose's plans.

Mike Post, Marlow