I'M SURE I am not the only reader to see the irony in last week’s leading stories (Gazette, September 26, '£5m gateway for new jobs" and 'Climate strikes across county'). A front page article about a proposal to build another car dealership, next to an article about climate change protests.

Kendal needs to develop. Our town must thrive. But we have a choice about how we do this. Our development must be economically and environmentally sustainable. We must plan for the long term and think about the legacy we want to leave.

The proposal is to plough up, bulldoze and level yet another piece of beautiful, historic farmland; to cover it in tarmac and concrete, and to build an industrial estate and car showroom. While the developer promises new jobs, they admit that many of these will just move from Windermere and Mintsfeet. So, more traffic, more congestion and more pollution. And once another field is lost, it is lost forever.

Our greatest asset is our beautiful countryside. It is our unique selling point. We have a choice - do we want to remain an historic market town, with a proud farming heritage and the gateway to the Lakes, or do we want to become just another grim, northern industrial town? Do we need another car showroom and another industrial estate where there used to be fields and trees?

More dark satanic mills or a green and pleasant land? I know which I choose.

Joe Corcos

Kendal