SIR – Mr MacPherson’s letter (T&A, August 30) raises some interesting points.

I was on friendly terms with a number of staff members of the old Brown, Muff store, which later became Rackhams.

At the time of its planned closure I was told by members of staff that poor business was the reason they were closing and, more specifically, it was because a growing number of Bradford residents ‘would not even come through the doors unless we were giving stock away.’ Similarly, the last decent menswear shop to leave Bradford reported the same problem.

It seems clear then that laws of supply and demand and ‘the market’ are dictating the direction that Bradford retail outlets will take.

Unfortunately, Bradford Council, instead of foreseeing these issues all those years ago, trails along behind events and mistakenly believes that a huge new retail outlet is the answer.

It would be far better were money spent to make the ‘Westfield development’ a permanent, landscaped, public open space, because I would be willing to bet (no pun intended) that if Westfield is ever built, it will be white elephant within three years (a white elephant full of pound shops and gambling facilities).

Christopher Hindle, Osterley Grove, Bradford