Every town needs an employer who will create jobs, and the proposed Range development is offering Chippenham 1,000. However is this promise realistic?

The Range says 800 jobs will be created in its distribution centre, and 200 in its retail centre and training academy.

In the case of the distribution centre the firm actually running it is DHL, an independent logistics company. So The Range is not actually the employer.

The Range has said that its activity is seasonal and its employment requirements of DHL will vary and involve part-time work. So it is unclear how many jobs will be permanent and full-time.

The number of people receiving Job Seekers Allowance in Chippenham at present (September 2014, Office of National Statistics) is 335. The Range has said that its skills profile will fit about 58 per cent of those on JSA. So, at best, The Range would employ around 194 Chippenham job seekers. That means The Range will get 19 per cent of its workforce from Chippenham, and 81 per cent from outside. Sourcing four-fifths of the workforce from outside the town is not exactly “jobs for Chippenham”.

The Range retail centre will also steal trade from the town centre. According to The Range, the town centre will lose eight per cent of its trade to The Range, and the near town centre retail estates will lose 20 per cent of their trade. That means job losses for Chippenham, and a serious adverse impact on a large number of shops.

The Range is also opening its National Training Academy this year at its HQ in Plymouth, employing 200 people there. So will it need another training academy in Chippenham employing 100 people?

This claim made by The Range looks illusory. All that glitters is not gold.

Stephen Eades, Allington, Chippenham.