LAST week's excitement over Sainsbury's being given the go-ahead for a new store in Commercial Road has been somewhat tempered over the last few days with the news that the Camping and Caravanning Club has decided against pursuing plans to develop a site in Wilton Lodge Park.

Citing "investment market conditions", the club, which has a membership of more than 400,000, is "unlikely to revisit the proposal in the foreseeable future", according to council leader David Parker.

Here at the paper, we had been concerned for several months over the inordinate amount of time it was taking to progress the plans and the lack of dialogue from either the club or the council. Admittedly, the scale of the project was such that it was always going to be a fairly lengthy process, but unfortunately our concerns have not been without foundation and have been borne out by this week's gloomy announcement.

Gloomy indeed. But charged with helping lift the economic gloom in the town is the much-trumpeted Hawick Development Sub-Committee, of which Mr Parker is chairman. And presuming that the caravan park wasn't the only iron in the fire, efforts need to be redoubled as the Sub-Committee's focus shifts to other projects. Projects which have never been more vital if the economic impetus of Sainsbury's (and Commercial Road) isn't to be lost.

Over to to you, Mr Parker . . .