A GRAND vision for the future of Okehampton received a mixed response at a public meeting recently.

At a well-attended meeting to give the people of the town their chance to have their say on the recently unveiled Concept Plan for Okehampton for the next 20 years, architectural consultant Peter Woodgate delivered a presentation of his ideas with some welcomed while others were met with sharp criticism.

In the Concept Plan for the town, Mr Woodgate had made the proposal to extend the existing primary school site and create junior and infant schools to meet the increased demand for school places which has been forecasted for several years due to the expanding population of the town.

However, from comments received at the meeting and during a consultation exercise on the following day, it appears few people were in favour of pursuing this idea when West Devon Borough Council had already identified a site for a second primary school closer to new housing developments to the east of the town.

One comment left during the consultation day argued that the primary school was already ?bursting at the seams? at present, without having to accommodate more children at the site.

Residents living in Maceys Terrace also attacked plans for a link road between Oaklands Drive and North Road saying the road was too narrow and residential to be a suitable site for such a link.

The meeting in the Charter Hall on Wednesday, October 29, gave residents the chance to hear a presentation by Mr Woodgate and see plans and ask questions about the scheme.

Okehampton businessman Richard Appleby sounded a note of optimism and said he welcomed a plan which looked at the ?whole picture? of the future of Okehampton.

Mr Woodgate proposed turning the empty Castle Hospital site into a hotel, which he said would be ?wealth creating? for the town.

However, one opponent said the hotel would be likely to attract business travellers who were unlikely to spend much time visiting the town.

There was a feeling among some at the meeting that the Castle Hospital should have some form of community use instead of becoming a hotel.

Mayor of Okehampton Cllr Christine Marsh said the Concept Plan aimed to help Okehampton prepare for the future to cope with the number of new homes earmarked for the town in the borough council?s Local Plan.

?We need to ensure all this infrastructure is in place when all this new housing is developed,? she said.

Cllr Marsh stressed that the ideas within the Concept Plan were not ?set in stone? and the hope was local people would come forward with their own ideas about how they wanted Okehampton to progress in the next 20 years.

The Concept Plan will be used to help secure funding for future projects through the Market and Coastal Towns Initiative.

Town clerk Don Bent said: ?I am pleased with the level of response. Overall, I think it was a well received Concept Plan which stirred up a variety of views.?