She had moved from nearer London a few years ago, wanting a bit of land to grow more of their own food.

"I live a mile south of the town and walk into work," she told me, and what she really enjoyed was the friendliness of the people. There was always a greeting, a comment on the weather, from everyone she passed, and these were never people she knew – just strangers. I couldn't believe that everything was perfect, so I asked what she'd like to see improved in the town.

"The shops", was the answer, and this came from behind the counter of one of the local businesses, so perhaps this was not just a personal point of view, but a businesswoman talking.

However, many of the examples were from a personal point of view. "There's nowhere to buy men's clothes," she said, and "We don't need another betting shop."

We got into a comparison of Holt and Swaffham. Both are old market towns with a bypass but somehow Holt was able to attract visitors to its shops where Swaffham failed. How do you get the right mix, was the question. Perhaps part of the answer, we decided, was that Holt is within the North Norfolk coastal strip. There's certainly plenty of money in what some call the county's Second Home Belt and it's the money that attracts the shops.

"We need more factories." Again, I was surprised, but the explanation was that Swaffham needs the workers, so there is money to be spent in the shops.

I was also surprised at the idea that an out-of-town Tesco would be a good idea. "Won't that keep people on the outskirts so they never come into your shop in the town centre?" I responded. Apparently not!

"There's lots who go to Dereham for Tesco and stay to do other shopping too," I was told.

It's clearly a tricky balance, I thought, as I left the shop. Should we gentrify, appeal to the tourist and a wider area, like Holt, or grow the town through employment and provide the customers that way?
What do you think? Tell me. Email swaffhamturbine@yahoo.co.uk