Sainsbury's has come to town and opens its doors this morning after years of anticipation.

Customers will no doubt be flooding into the store, queueing up to be the first through the checkouts.

There'll be packed trolleys, bulging carrier bags and weighed down shoppers as people are carried along by the excitement.

But what's all the fuss – after all, it's just a supermarket, the same type of store which is being built up and down the country.

I supppose the difference here is that it's not just the supermarket.

Along with Sainsbury's comes a new relief road, bus terminal, proposed housing development – and new footbridge – all opening up what was a mainly unused part of town. We wait and see what difference it will make to Matlock – good or bad.

After all, it's bound to have some impact on the rest of the town. Some people say it will bring more shoppers into the town centre, others say it will be the death of Matlock.

We may have welcomed the scheme with excitement or awaited today with fear and dread, but Sainsbury's is here and there's no going back.
And it's been a long wait...

When I first started work at the Mercury over ten years ago, the talk of the town and town council was all about Cawdor Quarry — and the imminent arrival of Sainsbury's.

At that time Bakewell was going through changes with the Bakewell Project bringing with it the new Agricultural Business Centre.

Bakewell is still divided over whether the project has been a good thing or not – and I'm sure that in years to come Matlock folk will also be split over the quarry development's impact.

Whatever the future holds for Matlock it must move on and develop – but at the same time hold on to what makes it a unique place to live, work and visit.