I HAVE been following the Coppergate II debate with great interest.

My family has just returned from a visit to Southampton where a new shopping complex, West Quay, has just opened. This development has two large stores plus a number of smaller units occupied by familiar high street names.

It is located near the existing traditional high street shopping streets.

After visiting West Quay we exited on to the high street itself and soon noticed two large empty shops formerly occupied by the new stores together with numerous recently-vacated smaller shops. They all had the same notices in the windows - "This store has relocated to the West Quay". I wonder if market research in Southampton had suggested that the West Quay development would be occupied by new names and that there wouldn't be a migration of existing businesses with the resultant emptying of premises in nearby traditional shopping streets.

P Keeble,

Osbaldwick Lane, York.