NATIONAL pub chain J D Wetherspoon has confirmed it is looking at a retail site in West Street, Tavistock, which is the subject of a current planning application for change of use. Wessex Heritage has applied for consent to change the use of 82, 83 and 84 West Street from retail to public house. The proposal is for units formally occupied by Hockridge and Stacey electrical retailers and one presently occupied by Kevin Cooper motor spares, which is planning to relocate to Westbridge Industrial Estate. The pub chain said the site had been identified as a possible location and architects were being asked to prepare a study into it. John Taylor, of Wessex Heritage, said he had been in discussions with Wetherspoons but the intention of the planning application was to give him greater flexibility in marketing the units. Mr Taylor, who was at the forefront of Tavistock's winning campaign to become the best food town in the South West, said the change of use to an A4 classification to sell alcohol would mean the site would be suitable for a restaurant, café, snack bar or public house. He said permission to run an eating and drinking establishment would give him the flexibility to keep good quality traders in the town. More than 2,000 details had been sent out to gauge interest in the units and the majority of feedback was from food and drink outlets, he said. 'My main concern is maintaining a vibrant town when there is an increasing threat from out of town shopping developments,' said Mr Taylor, who is also chairman of Tavistock Forward. 'I have no problem with Wetherspoons coming here — I think it would be good for the town but I was under the impression that the site, at 4,000 sq ft, was too small,' he added. 'The current growth sector is food and drink. Tavistock has a reputation for the quality of its food but there have been no new quality food establishments built over the last ten years. 'We could offer more choice by having something like an Italian restaurant or a Marks and Spencers Simply Food outlet.' A spokesman for Wetherspoons said the chain had been looking at moving into Tavistock for some time: 'Our architects are looking at this site in West Street and we are waiting to see if it is something we can work with,' he said. ' It is, however, very early days.' Only 3% of Weatherspoons pubs are as small as 4,000 sq ft.