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hopefully the town councils eyes are focused on totnes future and let specsavers have the shop and not costa coffee

What about local jobs losses? Do those in favour honestly believe that a coffee shop that is part of an international chain will use local tradesmen, or local ingredients? There are already too many coffee shops in Totnes so an extra one would pull trade from the others and this would cost local jobs in the supply chain. Most of the independent shops use nearby suppliers that employ locals. Also have any of you ever actually worked for a large chain serving food and drink? I have and I can tell you that the terms and conditions of employment can be hopeless if you are an adult trying to pay bills. I am not anti Costa generally but it is not right for Totnes.

the Seven Stars Hotel TQ9 bar is open from 6.30am, serves good coffee and has comfy leather sofas, quite similar to many costa chains. also it is only yards, seconds walk away from the proposed new Costa site.

I like going into Costa cafes in a city, I enjoy the huge coffees, the comfy seats, and ambience. But in Totnes, we have plenty of options and character, and we do need to protect the Market town image and local traders.
It's the duty of the councils to establish what business would enhance the town and its trade, and proactively attract them, insteand of a succession of 'no to costa', 'no to specsavers' etc..
How about a cooperative bank for instance?

Why is it that a bunch of incomers think they have the right to tell us born and bred Totnes folk what we do and don't want in our High Street. I hear Transition Town Totnes now has more than 4,000 signatures on it's anti-costa petition. That's not even half the population of the town itself, let alone a majority of the 25,000 people that call Totnes it's hometown.
The thing is, there's a huge silent majority in Totnes that just gets on with life. It's the tiny minority of "alternatives" like those in TTT that hold us back. Totnes is not as alternative as some would like to think. The vast majority of us actually welcome Costa. Perhaps if the other coffee shops opened on a Monday or earlier in the morning, then we wouldn't need a Costa. But right now, I'd quite fancy a good cup of coffee first thing in the morning, so bring on Costa.

Some splendid writing here in these posts! I read every post. There seem to be a few of these Totnes FM debate pages, on this particular subject. I love to hear all the different ideas!

Since I last posted to this debate, I have put into practice my idea of balance, and I am checking it out for myself, making my own conclusions. Coffee houses are really important to me. Yes, they are often where ideas are born! I'm a writer.

I have checked out a few of the independent cafes in Totnes, which I have never been to before. Really enjoying it. and I have many more yet to discover! It's great! Thankyou traders of Totnes. And yet I also love a trad High St, with a Costa and things, and yes I too miss Woolworth's.

I'm a bit put off by the posters, although I appreciate the hard work that has gone into the campaign, and of course I agree with many of the Transition Town philosophies, if they are not forced on me.

Its a clever image, I like the offbeat take on Trainspotting. It's just the word clone that seems a bit strong, even a bit paranoid (or maybe I am paranoid haha). Makes me think of Brave New World, and things apocalyptic, and I am a bit defensive about the slant of the campaign. Is this intentional? Is clone a derogatory word? Or clever political or cool or hip or something. hmm.

I want to believe in the Transition Town thing, I really do, but balance is all important to me.

I don't refer to towns with a trad High St as clone towns, is it a bit of a holier-than- thou phrase perhaps? They are just different to Totnes, room for it all perhaps?

Well, the Costa in Totnes, if it opens, is going to be one of the most famous Costas in the country, after all this. OK so about three and a half thousand people won't be using it, and it might close down, but at this rate it will be a must see famous place on the tourist trail.. heheh

Room for humour? Hope so.

Room for humour, I think?Balance. Perspective

As a coffee-drinking spectacle-wearing resident of Totnes, I would welcome either chain store to our town, though I think that Costa is less threat to the cafes, than Specsavers would be to the independent opticians... I class myself as one of the "alternative" community here, but I still think that sometimes in life we have to accept co-existence and then make the most of the new situation. I for one am very glad that Morrisons and the Coop are here. I still mourn the loss of Woolworths!! I cannot afford to run a car, or make countless trips out of town for provisions. Let's have a bit more variety here, especially shops that serve the poorer families - I would welcome a Lidls or Wilkinsons, for instance. We cannot all afford to be raffia-weaving, organic-food eating, wooden-toy making Narnians, lovely as those people can be. If Costa does come here, after all, why not meet there to plan the Revolution, in the good old tradition of coffee houses?

Have I missed something here? Are they both not national chain stores?!

Sometimes Totnes tries to hard...it does beg the question of what came first...
Was it the people who made Totnes what it is or Totnes that made the people who they are...

C'mon can we not move on from "chain bashing" now.