It is good to see two of Winchester city centre’s most prominent ‘corner shops’ getting a new lease of life; less so one of them becoming a high street bakery/café within a pigeon’s flap of so many others.

Our main thoroughfare is saturated when it comes to sustenance, surely lessening the chance of tourists veering off the beaten track – to say nothing of day trippers who struggle to find the Christmas market.

But while visitors and many locals tuck into a true taste of counties further west, a short distance away are characterful alternatives striving to bring vibrancy and much-needed variety to our city’s food scene.

If Winchester’s small businesses and a true taste of Hampshire are to survive, it seems increasingly incumbent on those living and working in the city to savour and support independent eateries before it’s too late.

Carol Geddes,

Canon Street,

Winchester

Letter Editor's note: The two 'corner shops' mentioned are Pavilion in The Square becoming gents outfitters Rodd & Gunn and Phase Eight in the High Street set to be Cornish Bakery.