DARTMOOR action groups have voiced their opposition to the Local Plan for the development of the national park over the next decade, describing housing growth on the moor as 'out of control'.
The Dartmoor Society say the plan needs a rewrite in many key areas and should take account of radical new ideas.
The first draft of the Dartmoor National Park Local Plan is now undergoing public scrutiny and people have until 5pm on Monday (April 22) to comment on the plans.
Dartmoor Society chairman Dr Tom Greeves questioned in particular the housing policies set out in the draft Local Plan.
The Dartmoor Society believe previous policies have amounted to 'a developer's charter'. The current Devon Structure Plan recommends there should be 800 new dwellings created within the national park between 1995-2011. The society state that by March 2001, with ten years of the period still to run, 999 have been newly built, converted or are under construction.
'This is development out of control, and a clear breach of guidelines, which puts immense pressure on the environmental and social infrastructure of Dartmoor,' state the Society.
'We encourage everyone with an interest in the future of Dartmoor to scrutinise the plan as closely as possible, and to comment by April 22. The highest environmental criteria are clearly not yet being applied to Dartmoor, despite Government and public expectations. Now is the chance to make things better,' said Dr Greeves.
The Dartmoor Preservation Association has also issued a critical response to the Local Plan. The DPA says the provision of new housing on Dartmoor should be essentially for local people on limited incomes who cannot afford to buy existing properties on the free market.
The DPA say that if the National Park Authority continues to allow developers to build speculatively on Dartmoor, it will leave only a few 'crumbs from the table' for local home-buyers.
The DPA say many of the settlements identified as potential sites for development were too small to be suitable for expansion, such as Meavy, which does not have a village post office or shop. There are also few real job opportunities in these smaller villages and increased housing would change their look and character thus reducing the quality of life for present inhabitants, claim the DPA.
The DPA said it supported plans for major development to revitalise Princetown, but believed more needed to be done to keep open existing shops, public houses, accommodation and other businesses in the village.
The DPA also advocates a tougher line in terms of military training on the moor. While welcoming the Authority's commitment to reducing live firing on the moor, it calls for a 'phased withdrawal of other damaging military activities' in preparation for the expiry of the MoD's licence to use Dartmoor in 2012.
Dartmoor National Park Authority head of planning Graham Wall said the feedback received so far about the draft Local Plan had been largely positive, with a handful of objections. 'In broad terms, very few houses are built in the national park, compared to other areas of the country, and that's the way it should be.
'We are likely to exceed the numbers of houses predicted in the Devon Structure Plan, but we will not exceed it by the huge number these groups are suggesting,' said Mr Wall.
Mr Wall said much of the new housing proposed in the first review would be affordable housing made available to meet the needs of local people.
'We don't feel any of these houses are damaging to the essential character of Dartmoor,' he said.
Mr Wall said he felt the park authority and the DPA and Dartmoor Society shared many similar aims. 'Those two organisations can throw in radical ideas. We have got to produce policies which are generally accepted and are practical,' he said.
At the end of the six-week consultation period, the authority will consider whether the plan should be changed in light of all the representations received.
Towards the end of this year, a revised deposit local plan will be published which will again be open to public consultation.