SIR – With reference to the article Brewery keen to land the ok for a takeaway (WHT August 27). I was quite interested and not a little dismayed to read the remark made by Peter Furness-Smith, managing director of brewers McMullens, we believe there

SIR - With reference to the article "Brewery keen to land the ok for a takeaway" (WHT August 27). I was quite interested and not a little dismayed to read the remark made by Peter Furness-Smith, managing director of brewers McMullens, "we believe there will be a strong demand for residents of Hatfield for our takeaway at the Harrier".

Exactly who has he spoken to, as yet I've not spoken to a single person who is in favour of his chip shop plan? In fact I'm guessing his remarks and his contact with you was led by the petition raised by the Harrier pub's patrons who were totally opposed to part of the Harrier's assembly hall disappearing to make way for his chip shop.

I also suggest Mr Furness-Smith visits the Welwyn Hatfield Council's planning page, there he'll find a number of letters from the Harrier's neighbours who again are all opposed to his chip shop plan, it might also interest Mr Furness-Smith that our local councillor and Member of Parliament, as well as a number of others whose views are as yet unpublished, have also voiced their misgivings about the folly of his plan.

Mr Furness-Smith the Hilltop area of Hatfield doesn't want or need your chip shop for reasons too numerous to list here, but not least of which is the simple fact that there's already a chip shop not 100 meters away from your proposed site.

If Mr Furness-Smith really wants to generate more business for his ailing pub, I'm sure the ground rent he'll be charging Fish'n'Chick'n is going to be far greater than the pub's current mid-week takings. Might I suggest he employs a chef for his existing kitchen, gets rid of the huge TV and pool tables, refits the pub in a similar vein to the McMullens owned, The Cock of the North at Bell Bar and starts serving decent food at a reasonable price in pleasant surroundings, it'll be a lot cheaper to accomplish I'll wager, it won't further alienate the pubs neighbours and it won't jeopardise the future of the four fast food outlets already operating within the Harrier's immediate vicinity, and of course it won't saddle Fish'n'Chick'n with a white elephant of a branch.

Name and address supplied.