I HAVE noted the excellent letters that have been sent to the newspaper concerning the proposal by Redrow to build upon the remaining three fields at Tiddy Brook.

I did attend the consultation opportunity at Whitchurch Community Hall and noted the following concerns that will require urgent addressing by Redrow.

1. Of greatest concern personally was the fact that they had taken a quantity of land from myself and my neighbours!

2. At the end of our small terrace of 19th Century cottages, there would be the side of a house that would completely remove any view for the house there. There had clearly been no impact statements raised for the concerns of us , the present residents.

3. I asked why the access for this new estate had to come into Anderton Lane (again!) Anderton Lane is not large enough to take the additional weight of traffic from the existing Tiddy Brook estate, let alone more traffic.

The fatuous statement that Redrow would be placing a car park and improving the cycle path is risible and does not affect the most important fact — Anderton Lane is not big enough and Whitchurch Road is now a rat-run.

Living as I do near to the primary school, I am amazed that there have not been any more accidents with the additional weight of traffic that the access into Anderton Lane has caused. I and my fellow residents are now informing the police every time we lose a wing mirror, get a bump or scratch due to the inability of car drivers to slow down and race to beat their fellow drivers at the narrowing near the primary school — I feel very sorry for the bus drivers who not only have to face this problem but then have to attempt to get into Anderton Lane from Whitchurch Road, much to the chagrin of anybody they meet, apparently!

Get the traffic onto Plymouth Road and thence to Plymouth. I proposed access into Bishopsmead and also into the present Tiddy Brook estate, a proposal received with completely blank faces.

4. I saw the promise for more space for the primary school — I asked where the children would go at aged 11 and got no answer. The primary school has already had to subsume the children from the present estate, why should it lose its appeal as a 'village' primary school?

5. As for the size of the roads, the present roads in Tiddy Brook are too small and insufficient consideration was given to the influx of cars for the residents. There is not enough parking space and the cars now park on the pavements — I still wonder if a fire engine would be able to get through the slalom course that has now arisen.

6. I did inform two of our councillors about this consultation — much to my amazement they knew nothing about it!

7. In the first communication from Redrow, there were 75 houses to be built; imagine my surprise to be presented this time with 110.

The rationale of the special feel of Tavistock will be destroyed at this end of the town as more of the countryside is built upon, to the detriment of the present residents and the community at large.

Yet again, however, a community has been dumped upon a present community; communities grow around four roots — the pub, the church, the post office and the school — there are none of these in the proposals from Redrow.

Chris Smerdon

Whitchurch Road

Tavistock