ON reading the front page of the Times (December 3), I feel I must respond to the article about the proposed core strategy for West Devon which covers all development needs until 2026.

Having grown up in West Devon I had concerns about the numbers of units that were being proposed for the next 15 to 20 years, and the effect it might have on the area. However, what has really shocked me with the opposition to the proposed core strategy, as highlighted in your newspaper, is the complete disregard to the unfortunate 2,000-plus households who are registered on the West Devon Borough Council housing waiting list, which is bound to increase with the current economic situation.

We therefore need to plan ahead to provide the houses and infrastucture that are needed, with some 26% of the allocation going to village communities in West Devon. Should West Devon Borough Council not have a core strategy document in place by the time the local plan expires, there is a major risk of development companies buying land and building houses which are needed, without any control, because the present Local Development Plan will have expired.

What some people seem to be unaware of is that a large part of West Devon consists of the Dartmoor National Park, whose area cannot be included in the core strategy because of its designation and administration by its own authority.  In the four-year consultation with communities in the areas outside of the National Park, the proposed core strategy has received cross political party support to arrive where we are today.

What has to be remembered is that scattered development, as the Rural Communities Alliance group appear to want, produced considerable public opposition at the consultation days and is very unlikely to bring any major investment in infrastructure to Tavistock and Okehampton. Certainly, in my lifetime, the scattered housing developments which have been built have brought very few.

Unfortunately, councillors have to make difficult decisions for the good of the wider community and not just the few, therefore with a growing population, everyone should support the proposed core strategy so that we have development which can be controlled, of a quality that enriches the area and provides housing for our families.

Cllr Terry Pearce

Former West Devon mayor

West Devon Borough Council

I AM writing to complain about the provision of affordable housing for local people. I have lived in the Tavistock area for 20 years and currently work for the NHS in Ivybridge. My wife and I have been registered on the Devon Council housing (now West Devon Homes) list since 1989.

Every year the council send us a letter asking if we want to remain on the list. On several occasions we were removed from the list because we failed to receive or return said letter.

In November this year West Devon Homes sent us a letter stating that there was going to be a change in the banding system for local properties, changing from three to five bands, and that we would have to re-submit our application in order to be considered.

It seems to me that council housing is no longer a right for those who cannot afford to buy a property but something you have to compete for.

It is 20 years since I registered on the waiting list and we are no nearer being housed.

My wife receives incapacity benefit following an operation at Derriford for DVT three years ago, and she cannot work due to this, we are effectively living on one wage/income.

Surely people like us should have some chance of being housed locally so that I can continue my job with the NHS? Instead I live nearly 30 minutes from my place of work (I live in Milton Abbot), meaning a 60 mile round trip.

If I had council accommodation or could even afford the rent to a private landlord, on one income this is not possible, my life would be a lot easier.

E J Clark

Harragrove Cottage

Milton Abbot