I HAVE perused Jan Hazell?s letter (October 31) and have come to the conclusion that none of it has any substance.

Yes, the town of Okehampton is old and all the buildings in it are old and compatible. Not so the Moorcroft Inn ? it is a decrepit eyesore and in a state of decay which is not recent but has happened over several years.

You would need to draw up a solid professional business plan and then find an eccentric millionaire to back it with a ?lot of money?, probably up to £200,000, for refurbishment of the building (inside and out) fittings and surrounding areas alone.

Next would be the delicate problem of attracting sufficient custom to make it profitable as a business, bearing in mind that the decline started when the bypass on the A30 diverted traffic away from the area and straight on to Cornwall still on the A30.

Jan Hazell mentions breweries being interested in revitalising a once flourishing business. Not a chance, quite the opposite ? in fact, large owners/chains of public houses are rapidly closing many out of town non-profitable establishments and returning them to residential use. What chance has the Moorcroft Inn? None!

Jan Hazell mentions Betty Cottles at the other end of town being viable as a business. This is probably true as traffic has to pass it on the A386 which comes directly into Okehampton town centre ? the essential ingredient that the Moorcroft Inn has lost for ever because of the A30 bypass.

Why not enquire of West Devon Borough Council what facilities are planned for any new developments at this end of town, a public house on its own is surely not enough.

I am not aware of any complaints from families who venture the short distance to the town to enjoy the facilities that are there in abundance.

Finally, there are several people at Moorcroft Close who are who are Devon-born, including my wife and Ken Porcher!

H Topliss

Moorcroft Close

Okehampton