THE mayor of Tavistock has joined her respective office holders in Okehampton and Hatherleigh in condemning Government policy which wants to see thousands of houses — the majority in their towns — built in West Devon by 2026. The mayors are united in their stand against the proposal, claiming that towns and villages should be allowed to expand naturally rather than have large scale housing developments imposed upon them from central government. The Government want to see 4,400 new homes in the borough — many of which would be in the three towns. Anne Johnson, the mayor of Tavistock told the Times: 'Tavistock is a very special place and it is important to keep it special. I understand the need for more housing but think there should be natural expansion over time to meet needs. 'Extra housing will put pressure on existing services within the town, which are in some cases stretched already. 'It is important to have an infrastructure in place to cope with expansion when it happens.' The three mayors say planning rules for the rural communities should not be based around the urban models, as the two are entirely different. They say that new houses should be built where there is spare capacity for employment at the time and not in areas where, it is hoped, employment will follow. The mayors have responded to the Local Development Framework for Devon by writing to all the county's towns and parish clerks, MP Geoffrey Cox, the chief executive of the South West Regional Assembly, the Minister of State responsible for planning and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Opposition to the policy has already seen a march on the West Devon Borough Council offices in Tavistock while members of the Okehampton Sustainable Development Group made their protest felt with a march around their town centre and gathering signatures against the moves. The group aims to present a 5,000-strong signature to the Prime Minister in Downing Street.
