THE Secretary of State has ordered an inquiry into the proposal to turn Portswood bus depot into a giant Sainsbury's.

Portswood is a residential area, and this supermarket would be surrounded on all sides by homes. Hundreds of cars and delivery lorries would come into an already congested area every week, causing traffic chaos.

At Christmas, the whole area would be gridlocked.

It is only 18 years since Thomas Lewis Way was built, specifically because Portswood Road and St Denys Road are unsuitable for large volumes of traffic.

The delivery lorries would arrive 24 hours a day, so the area would be brightly lit and noisy.

Although Sainsbury's claim that the store would create jobs and benefit Portswood High Street, independent research shows that the arrival of a new supermarket destroys local businesses and leads to net job losses.

Southampton does not need another giant supermarket. Within a few miles of Portswood there are already several supermarkets, including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda and even Sains-bury's! Plus at least four supermarkets offer online home deliveries to the whole of the city.

We mustn't let our communities be destroyed in the interests of large corporations hell-bent on competing with each other.

The inquiry will be heard at the Civic Centre at 10am on July 3. Public submissions are allowed, but must be submitted in writing beforehand to: Sarah Banwell, Room 4/04, Kite Wing, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.

MURRAY COWELL, Portswood, Southampton.