Milborne Port in Dorset, has a thriving, albeit small, high street with a number of retail businesses. The butcher, florist, pharmacist, newsagents, award-winning fish and chip shop and post office would all be at risk from the arrival of a large supermarket chain. There is already a perfectly functional Co-op in the village and a Texaco garage managed by Central, which both provide essential groceries when the high street is closed in the evening and on Sunday. The pub itself is a family-orientated vital social hub, which in a rural area, where properties are sparse, becomes an important means of meeting other people. It provides a resident skittles team, darts, pool, fortnightly general knowledge quiz, a music quiz and an array of themed nights and live bands. The beer garden is large and well maintained and provides a huge child play area with equipment. The building itself is attractive and quaint and even has its own resident ghost! The loft is home to a number of protected bats and there are large trees in the garden. The immediate neighbourhood is entirely unsuitable for large lorries delivering and the increased traffic a car park will produce. Sherborne is less than a 5 minute drive away, with a Waitrose and Sainsburys for larger grocery shops-and they even deliver to the village. We have neither need nor desire for yet another large retail unit-especially not at the expense of our local!