Do you want a Sainsbury's in Newmarket? The supermarket giants have applied to open a store on the Exning Road in the unit currently occupied by the Clean Machine laundrette.
The plans also reveal that the store will be open 24 hours a day.
Some residents are already protesting against the idea, claiming it will increase anti-social behaviour and traffic congestion on an already busy road.
What do you think? Does the town need a new Sainsbury's when there are already other stores in the town?

I actually have fairly mixed feelings about this. I don’t share the opinion of some, that Sainsburys would be harmful to our community and would encourage drunkenness and anti-social behaviour. On the contrary, my belief is that the store could potentially be quite beneficial, adding an additional touch of class and sophistication to our neighbourhood, not to mention providing some well needed jobs for local people.

It’s true that several years ago there were some occasional late-night disturbances in an area close to the Costcutter shop but these appeared to be largely connected with activities centred around the nearby Cherry Tree Pub. The trouble diminished somewhat when the pub came under new management and appeared to stop completely when Mr Mahil installed a CCTV camera outside the shop. I’ve no doubt that Sainsbury’s will have their own security arrangements and methods for managing potential problems.

I guess my main concern would be for Mr Raj Mahil and his wife. They have been running the Costcutter store for over 12 years now and are very friendly and helpful people who have become very well established and respected in our community. It’s very much the case, I suspect, that a large supermarket chain like Sainsbury’s would be able to offer the customer a wider choice of goods at lower prices, making it very difficult for the Costcutter to compete. This would obviously place a considerable amount of anxiety upon the Mahil family as their shop would clearly struggle to survive under such conditions.
There’s also of course the issue of parking. There is certainly some provision behind the unit in question, but I do share the fear that during busy periods, Sainsbury’s customers would leave their vehicles in adjacent Scaltback Drive, making life very difficult for nearby residents who currently use this for parking.

I have my own views on the subject but I think the protesters believe that selling alcohol 24 hours a day would encourage drinking - that's the argument when it comes to anti social behaviour.

To be honest if you go to the CO-OP on Scaltback in the evening you will see the line of people stocking up on their alcohol for the night. You don't get anti social behaviour up there. The people that buy the alcohol seem too keen to get home and drink it rather than stand about in the streets drinking and causing trouble.
I think this would be the same with a new Sainsbury's. It's just a shame that these big supermarkets are taking over everywhere and one day we won't have a choice but to shop with them. High street shopping and independent stores will be looked back on and remembered fondly, but they will be gone.