A PETITION calling upon the Government to act ?in respect of the chronic infrastructure problems likely to result from Okehampton?s planned new 540 housing development? is gaining momentum, with more than 1,000 signatures collected so far. West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox and Mel Stride, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for the new Central Devon constituency, have launched a parliamentary petition to gather local opinion on housing development between Exeter Road and Crediton Road in Okehampton, after the controversial proposal to build hundreds of new homes in the town amid concerns regarding infrastructure such as roads and schools. Mr Cox told the Times: ?By the time Parliament returns in October we are aiming to collect 3,000 to 4,000 signatures. ?What we are saying to Parliament is that the Government cannot expect market and rural towns, such as Okehampton, to suddenly accommodate hundreds of thousands of extra homes without the necessary investment and infrastructure.? ?It is time the Government listened to the aspirations and wishes of local communities for their towns and villages and I hope this petition will help to ensure they do.? Mr Stride said his team would visit as many homes as possible in the next few weeks. His campaign team is targeting around 4,000 homes in the area. He said: ?Residents feel very strongly about this issue and I am determined that their voice should be heard. ?Many are concerned about centralised development targets which they feel are being imposed by Government on local communities without local people having a proper say regarding the scale, impact and location of these new buildings.? A recent public meeting at Charter Hall in Okehampton and letters to the Times have established the strength of concern over the scale of the development. Mr Cox stressed such an important issue to the town was not a question of party politics and the petition represented a cross party message from the people of Okehampton. Sally Morgan, the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Central Devon, said: ?I am very much in favour of lobbying the Government, who should be more sensitive about housing development. ?I very much support the petition in principle. ?There is a great need now for housing because local authority stocks were sold off and these same authorities are not allowed to reinvest in new housing. ?There is great need in Okehampton for affordable housing but what worries me is the little infrastructure to support.? She supports a call by Derek Webber, the chair of Okehampton Hamlets Council, who wants to see another environmental impact accessment to be done before such a major housing scheme goes ahead.
