WE wanted to alert readers that West Devon Borough Council's Core Strategy, which covers all areas of the council's work including the new areas designated for housing development until 2031, meeting community needs, delivering council services, employment and resources, will be re-written this year. The new version is called 'Our Plan' and will take into account ideas and views from the public and up-to-date survey evidence. The plan will apply to the whole district, except for the planning aspects which will not apply to the National Park. The initial public consultation is going on at the moment, ending on June 20. Information on this consultation is on the WDBC website at but it is not very well organised or user friendly which may deter some people from responding. At the time of writing, the consultation document itself can be found from the first page by clicking on 'Our Plan Consultation' in the related pages box, then 'Our Plan Regulation 18' in the Downloads box (or on the link in the text 'here [1Mb]'). The document resembles a children's story book and is called 'Shaping our communities to 2031'. It describes the background to the process and the timetable and sets out the topics being proposed as the basis for developing 'Our Plan'. The consultation asks for your views on these and any other topics you think should be included so don't miss this chance to add your ideas. For example, last time the public was consulted, WDBC identified the main areas they intended to use for housing development, which were Tavistock and Okehampton, but because little publicity was given to the consultation, not many residents raised any objection or suggested alternatives, and these areas became the Core Strategy. This time, WDBC has given the consultation much more publicity, but has not identified the areas they are considering for housing development. If you disagree with this and feel they should be identified, or have suggestions for areas that you think should be used, please let them know! The online Response Form is reached on the same page using the link near the bottom of the page Our Plan Response Form or you can email or write to WDBC directly. If you want to speak to the Strategic Planning team, call WDBC on 01822 813600. Remember, your response must be in by June 20. After that, WDBC will be attending various events and meetings over the next few months collecting views from the public on the details to be included in 'Our Plan'. This is your ONLY chance to feed in exactly what you want to see happen and how you want it to be carried out. Everything in the current Core Strategy is up for reconsideration, including the currently designated sites for development and the balance of development between towns and villages. To be kept in touch with details of the events so that you don't miss the chance to contribute, you need to email the Community Team through the link on the web pages and ask for your contact details to be added to their Consultation Database. Or you can follow @OurPlanWD on Twitter. It is really important that we all contribute our ideas and views to 'Our Plan'. There will not be another chance again for several years, and WDBC must not be left to put it together themselves or goodness knows what might happen to the borough by 2031!   Please tell your friends, family and other local contacts about it too. It is crucial we ensure that the Tavistock area retains its attractive identity, and is not spoilt because not enough residents have made their feelings felt about these important issues. Alison Wright and Marysu Godfrey Whitchurch