It is with a sense of impending doom that I read the statement ‘Range will benefit economy’ from Oliver Bertram of First Chippenham in the letters page (December 18).

It may benefit First Chippenham and The Range’s investors significantly, but the impact on Chippenham will be disastrous.

Let’s be clear, this is not a shop, it’s a distribution centre.

To understand the scale of the warehouse, take the 15 largest single structures (the large superstores, DIY retailers etc) in Chippenham, put them together, then add the same amount again on top.

Add on all the car parks and yard – the site covers 20 football pitches. And have a look at the surrounding countryside, it will be a blot on the landscape for miles.

Mr Bertram’s letter contradicts information contained in the planning application (specifically the number of vehicles travelling to the M4).

There are numerous other inconsistencies and contradictions in the application, and I find it hard to believe that even First Chippenham has taken it seriously.

The promise of 1,000 jobs may grab headlines, but under closer scrutiny, fails to deliver. The Range’s equivalent-sized facility in Doncaster employs 350, the current facility in Bristol employs 450.

The Bristol employees will legally have to be offered a job at the new site, and one can reasonably expect a number of those with ‘good’ jobs to relocate, leaving the remainder of poorly paid roles to be filled locally.

The Range states in its planning application that it expects four per cent of its employees to be recruited from Allington, a parish of around 160 residents. Take out the farmers, retirees, students, and so on. Is this a realistic number?

Consider other similar employers in the area, who already struggle to recruit locally; none of which are on this scale.

This is just one example of the poor research that has gone into the application.

Further, The Range claims 1,000 jobs, but only 120 lorries per day. I fail to see the economics that will enable this.

Allowing for 10 per cent of the workforce to be on leave at any given time, The Range expects us to believe that it takes nine people an entire day to pick, pack, load and administer just one lorry.

There are many places that may welcome this, but a greenfield site, on a site of archaeological importance, adjacent to a conservation area, is not one of them.

It’s time to put an end to unwanted, unnecessary and destructive development in our rural town, and support the regeneration of the town centre.

Mel Moden Cepen Park North Chippenham