HAVING lived in Hereford for most of my life, I believe that I have a good understanding of what many people in the city think - especially when it comes to what improvements can be made.

And, for as long as I can remember the overriding feeling seems to have been that there were not enough shops and the cinema was too small.

Well, guess what?

Hereford now has a spanking new retail centre with a multi-screen cinema arriving in two weeks.

I still can't believe that the Old Market has finally arrived - for years there seemed to be a lot of talk, but not much action.

But, now it is here, I think that the city needs to get behind it.

It attracted thousands of shoppers last week during its opening weekend and I have seen many people continue to visit throughout the week.

And, with the new cinema and restaurants due to open in the next few weeks, I can only see more people flocking there.

The fear is that it will have a negative effect on High Town and independent traders will suffer.

But, in my opinion, I don't think that will be the case.

High Town is only a short walk from the Old Market - we are not talking about an out of town shopping centre.

I, for one, will still continue to shop in High Town, as well as the Old Market, and I believe many people will too.

Hereford needs people to shop here and not go to other cities.

In my opinion, the Old Market offers this opportunity.

And, from what I have seen, the traffic flow seems to have coped reasonably well - which is always a bonus.