By community correspondent Ben Crespin Walking through Molesey High Street you can't help but notice the amount of small shops which make a town a town; The post office, the Tescos, the chippy and the pub. All of these things are present in pretty much every town in Britain. However, amongst these homely places, there is a wealth of one thing - Places to eat.

As humans, there's nothing better than a good meal to fill you up, whether you are looking for a four-course meal or a quick slap-up, we all love to eat. However, due to the recent recession with many local business going under, there has been a rise in the amount of unoccupied retail space throughout Molesey - on the High Street and also down Bridge Road. These empty shops in a prime retail position, close to Hampton Court Palace and the heart of a thriving suburb have caught the eye of many budding entrepeneurs all wanting to open similar things - Cafés, sandwich Bars, restaurants etc. Many of you will be saying at the moment, "So What?". Well, all these eateries opening up everywhere has left Molesey with an ample source of food, but has in turn created a lack of variety; there's no more Woolworths, no more DVD Rental, travel agents, bakery, butchers... the list goes on. The other thing is, all these food outlets are terribly similar, all offering sandwiches, full English breakfasts, tea, coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice and a patio garden for when the sun shines. It's all a bit chlichéd really.

For those of you unattached to the area, this is probably quite a bore and not of any concern to you. However, to the residents of Molesey, I can assure you it is. It's not just the cafés taking over and duplicating, there's now three dry cleaners on the same road, two hairdressers next door to each other, two jewelery shops just a stone's throw from each other and even three electrical appliances shops. In addition, the collapse of small business has led to major business moving in to the uninhabited shops - Subway, Carpet Right, two Tesco's and there's even rumours of a KFC. This is of worry to the local residents as they see their cosy town turning into a hotbed for major fast food and supermarket chains; There really is a danger Molesey may slowly start to become similar to its near neighbour Walton, destroying its reputation as a peaceful, affluent suburb perfect for the London commuter and families. I, as do the vast majority of residents do not want this happening, but hey, if it does, at least we'll be well fed.