Last Thursday I participated in the examination in public for the West Devon core strategy.

The day was set aside to examine the issues relating to the development proposed for Okehampton, a level of development that I (and many others in the town) have fought for many years.

There is already a commitment to 500 new homes as part of the current plan and the additional 900 in the core strategy will mean 1,400 homes being built to the east of Okehampton by 2026. This will see the town growing by around 30%. A totally unacceptable and unsustainable level of development.

Along with the obvious challenges of infrastructure, congestion and pollution, I stressed many other points to the inspector, including the risks associated with having the funding of the infrastructure (including the relief road) contingent upon a substantial proportion of the development actually taking place — what happens if the development allocation is not fully taken up and most of the houses are built but insufficient developer contributions are secured for the relief road?

What happens if the estimated costs for the relief road turn out to be a substantial underestimate (a not untypical occurrence with public works programmes)?

I also stressed my concerns about consultation — despite the strong views of the local community, expressed through the consultation process and the petitions to Parliament and Downing Street (the latter signed by 30% of the town) little has been done to make adjustments to the plan.

I also stressed that Okehampton is not where all these new homes are needed – our rural communities need local development (especially affordable housing) in order to remain sustainable.

The inspector conducted the hearing with great professionalism and listened carefully to the points made by all parties – it will be his decision that counts now.