I WOULD like to thank Bryan Podmore (Letters, August 9) and many others who have made positive contributions to the Tiddybrook road issue.

Bryan has hit a good point on both the planning procedure and the identification, by solicitors, of the actual or planned position. However, I would like to clarify the following:

Firstly, with regard to the 'searches', solicitors can only find that which is available in the public domain; at Tiddybrook, of course the road was identified; however, and here are the major points, Devon County Council clearly state in their own policy guidelines that extraneous traffic through housing developments should be discouraged.

The legal agreement accompanying the planning permission for the Tiddybrook development states that the developer will provide 'The construction of a traffic calmed junction with the development and Anderton Lane as identified coloured yellow on the plan . . .'

However, the publically available plans do not show the configuration that was implemented in October 2011, hence it is reasonable to assume that the planning permission and Devon County Council guidelines would have been carefully followed and that extraneous traffic would be diverted away from the development. Likewise, the planning documents stated the estate roads would be 'designed for 20mph' and that's what has been built, although with a 30mph limit! 

I find it most unlikely that solicitors conducting 231 searches would all have failed to spot such a glaringly obvious issue as the diversion of a main road through a high density residential housing development.

Secondly, I also agree with Bryan on getting 'your points over' on all appropriate planning developments. I trust, however, that those elected by us or paid via our council tax must learn to listen and not just pay us lip service.

Tiddybrook has clearly demonstrated an institutional intransigence in the council mechanism that leaves me at a loss as to how the planning permission, agreed and approved by West Devon Borough Council with input from Devon County Council, can still be ignored, leaving the residents of Tiddybrook wondering who is there to really listen, underlining Bryan's point that 'statutory safeguards are continuing to be missed' or worse, just ignored. 

Phil Desmond

Woodpecker Way

Tavistock

THERE is a very easy solution to the Tiddybrook road problem. Create a roundabout at the junction of Anderton Lane and the A386. Traffic exiting Whitchurch will then be able to turn right towards Tavistock in comparative ease and safety and thus will not need to traverse to the 20mph winding road that is Buzzard Road.

An alternative is to put traffic lights at this junction. They provided traffic lights, now removed, further along the A386 towards Magpie Bridge for the convenience of lorries exiting the construction site.

So, providing lights that will greatly reduce the risk to children living and playing on the Tiddybrook Estate should be no problem.

Peter Lansdell

Bere Alston