I read with alarm the comments made by Dartmoor National Park Member Hugh Whitley reference the proposed development of 10 residential units at the Great Tree Hotel.
He stated ?when was the last hamlet built on Dartmoor? It?s about time another one was built?.
Does this now mean that the Dartmoor National Park Planning Authority have the intention of developing NEW hamlets, villages and perhaps even towns within our beautiful moorland?
If this development is approved beware ? new hamlets or developments of even a 100 homes may spring up on redundant rural buildings in the Park.
In addition to the major concern about the planning policy of the Park, there are so many reasons to object to this development.
According to the Dartmoor Preservation Association The Great Tree House Development is ?contrary to the local plan? and the Open Spaces Society states that it would have ?an adverse effect on the beauty of the area?.
Within the National Park we have already exceeded our housing quota ? so why are we currently continuing to build more! In Chagford, within 2 miles of this proposed development, two ex-nursing homes are already being converted into similar style developments providing roughly 20 properties. We do not need another 10 that will not be affordable by residents on local salaries. The infrastructure can?t cope.
I urge the members of the DNPA to listen to the arguments and reject this application.
Cllr Paul Ridgers
Drewsteignton Ward
West Devon Borough Council