I note with some concern that Marks and Spencer intend to close around one in four of their stores in the next couple of years, mainly those in traditional town centre sites.

I fear that if their Western Road store was included it would add to the steady decline in retail outlets in Brighton city centre.

I use our excellent bus services to travel into the city, but my wife prefers us to get in the car and drive to Eastbourne where we drive between the many retail parks (and usually sit in traffic jams) and we haven’t visited Eastbourne town centre in years.

Until the government, local councils and the town planners get a grip on this malaise by controlling the unfettered use of private cars then the situation will simply get worse.

One thought would be to introduce a levy of £1,000 a year on every car parking space at retail parks, which could be used to reduce the business rates in town centres.

This might encourage stores such as Marks and Spencer to re-examine their policy of building stores in out-of-town retail parks and retain their town centre stores.

However, I fear that there are too many vested interests at work to do anything radical and that our town centres will continue to decline and that soon we’ll have to get in car to drive to Hollingbury or Holmbush to shop at M&S.

Dennis Lance

Peacehaven