IT’S nice to see that Thorntons are returning to Andover – while I can’t claim to having shopped in the previous store every week I was a regular customer and their passing signified another nail in the coffin for Andover town centre.

You asked what shops people would like to see in Andover so I thought I would send my own views, though it’s difficult to know where to start.

A decent Marks & Sparks would be nice – our current branch is good for food but little else. Everyone I know says it’s a poor example of the brand.

How about a Debenhams in the space vacated by Tesco?

A John Lewis or a House of Fraser store would be fantastic.

As for clothes shops the likes of Laura Ashley, Monsoon/Accessorize and Phase Eight would be a start.

And how about Oasis or Jones the Bootmaker?

On a more practical note what about Robert Dyas and Lakeland?

Don’t get me wrong, we do have some nice shops – Mooch, Solitaire, At Last, Waterstones and Ernest Jones among them. But we are lacking the quality shops that our neighbouring town centres all seem to have.

Where can one buy bedlinen or towels (The Range and Wilko don’t count I’m afraid) and quality branded make up?

Andover is becoming larger by the week with housing estates expanding and bringing more and more people to what is really a lovely town.

We have a good road network (great for reaching other shopping centres at the weekend), excellent sports facilities and a great theatre with beautiful countryside around and about, but it is badly let down by its shopping centre.

There are lots of people in Andover and the surrounding villages with money and a low level of unemployment means there is plenty of spending potential but sadly people go elsewhere to do it.

I believe part of the problem is that the Chantry Centre is not owned by the local council and that their rates are prohibitively high, so discouraging new stores from opening. But surely if the council can find the space for more houses they can find space for some sort of new shopping centre.

The longer Andover is left in its current state the more people will be used to shopping elsewhere and the harder it will be to encourage them back. Something needs to be done.

Name supplied, from Charlton, Andover, via e-mail