MORE than 150 individuals and organisations have made representations about West Devon Borough Council's Core Strategy during the latest seven-week consultation.

The strategy, which sets out a long-term view for future development across the borough up until 2026, has been commended by Government Office South West.

Cllr Diana Moyse, chairman of the borough council's future planning and housing committee, said: 'We are extremely grateful to everyone for their contributions to a document which is of vital importance to the future of all our communities.

'We know that wherever development is proposed, there will be those who agree with it and those who will oppose it and we welcome everyone's opinion.

'Over the next few weeks we will be considering all the representations and deciding on whether any changes should be made. However, it must be remembered that we are required to meet the needs of the borough as a whole.'

Tavistock Town Council has put forward its own proposals, as part of the latest consultation, which seeks to spread the housing in smaller pockets of development across the town rather than the borough council's strategy to locate all development to the West and South West.

The town council's preferred sites for housing include Plymouth Road, St Andrew's Road Whitchurch, New Launceston Road, Trelawney Road, and Callington Road.

While the town council proposal is appreciated, a previous consultation with the public carried out in spring 2008 brought major opposition from the public and other stakeholders to the principle of dispersed development, says the borough.

Cllr Moyse said: 'We really do believe that our strategy is the best strategy for West Devon and Tavistock. A dispersed development will never be able to deliver the traffic management which is so important in Tavistock or the infrastructure requirements, for example, a new hospital, school and extra-care housing scheme.'

In Tavistock, 500 new homes are proposed near Callington Road. Currently there is an undeveloped site nearby that is already earmarked for 250 homes allocated in the 2005 local plan. As part of the phased development it is proposed to enable the reopening of the rail link between Tavistock and Bere Alston.

Cllr Moyse added: 'There are those who believe that we are only having the housing to deliver the railway — this is not the case. We need the housing and if a developer is prepared to reopen the railway as well we should take this once in a lifetime opportunity.

'Let me assure everyone that the housing is very much needed by local people and we have evidence to prove this. Our plan seeks to deliver 220 homes per year between 2006 and 2026 across the whole borough. Our evidence shows we would need to deliver 977 homes per year over the same period to meet the needs of our communities.

'However, it should be noted that, in fact, this figure is less than our recent average of house building which has been 238 homes each year.'

For further information about the core strategy go to http://www.westdevon.gov.uk/consultation">www.westdevon.gov.uk/consultation or contact a member of the forward planning team on 01822 813600.