AS a keen wildlife enthusiast I very much applaud the decision by the planning committee to refuse the application for a wedding venue at Lower Grenofen. However, it does raise doubts over the competency of West Devon Borough Council's planning department.

Common sense indicates that a development of this nature at this particular site is totally inappropriate.

This common sense view, supported by local planning policy and, fortunately, the planning committee, suggests that this application should have been 'nipped in the bud' at a very early stage. Failure to do so has provided tacit encouragement to the applicants to, perhaps foolishly, continue to spend money on the development, has involved the planning department in considerable nugatory effort and expense and caused much angst and concern amongst the residents of Grenofen for about a year since the initial application was submitted.

I trust that lessons will be learnt from this experience.

Graham Antcliffe

via email

FOLLOWING Mr Gray's letter (August 15) supporting the  'Ever After' wedding venue, I thought I would add my comment both as an ex mayor of Tavistock, former member of West Devon planning committee and someone who has experience of a member of her family running a wedding venue locally, in my case at Bickleigh Castle, near Tiverton. 

Mr Gray's sadness at the employment that could have been offered to many local people, should be tempered. The reality is that the employment offered often goes to the cheapest people to employ, often not from this country. Imposing the noise restrictions to protect the neighbourhood involved, can be difficult to manage, even on a private estate, which Lower Grenofen is not. I also find the access road difficult, the Green Travel plan unworkable and know the walkers' car park would be compromised.

I feel that the planning committee made the right decision regarding Lower Grenofen and its importance to the locality. It fulfils a simple, yet vital purpose for so many of us already. Enjoyment of natural beauty is totally free and relieves daily stress for very many people.

Living as we do in an area of outstanding natural beauty which along with its' inhabitants, be they animal, vegetable or mineral, we need surely to act as responsible custodians of our countryside, and protect it for public use for tranquil and peaceful enjoyment. not just for our generation. but for generations to come.

Lower Grenofen is within yards of the National Park boundary, a visionary creation to protect wildlife and prevent the erosion of our wild and beautiful places to development. Whilst we are all sorry that such hard work and expense has gone into this enterprise. It would have been more prudent to wait for the result of the planning process first.

Caroline Keane

Stresscare

Tavistock