OH, DEAR! There I was complacently thinking I had finally achieved my dream of moving to a quiet semi-rural life here in Tavistock, only to have the whole thing shattered by the article entitled 'A realistic proposal — or a way out of line?' (Times March 11).
Mr Hartley of CPRE Devon waxes lyrical about the railway being re-instated between Plymouth and Exeter on the Tamar southern main line. He states that 'there were only a few properties on the trackbed between Bere Alston and Meldon'. These would presumably be demolished to accomodate the new line.
However, has anybody thought of the noise, pollution, vibration, disruption, etc, that would be suffered by people adjacent to or below and near the line from the Crease Lane end to the Kilworthy Park Area?
My quiet life would be gone forever, along with the wildlife walk, trees etc. Also I would then be unable to sell my house in the future as the whole area would be blighted by the presence of the railway, to say nothing of the quantities of litter that would be thrown from passing trains.
What do other readers who live near the proposed railway think, I wonder?
Catherine Trafford-Smith
Meadow Brook
Tavistock
IT is good to read that the CPRE is promoting a feasibility study about possible restoration of the Plymouth to Exeter line, which should never have been cut.
It is preposterous that towns the size of Tavistock and Okehampton have no main link to major cities such as Exeter and Plymouth, or to main line routes.
Considering the speed at which the line was built from scratch, with all that entailed in those days, it is difficult to see why, given modern machinery and the fact that the main infrastructure still exists, it is expected to be a long job and cost so much. There is only a short bit of line missing. The Victorian engineers would laugh at us!
Let us do everything we can to support the CPRE in the best interests of our region.
Terence Scarborough
Uplands
Tavistock
WHAT a wonderful article in last week's Times conveying the CPRE's support for a Plymouth/Okehampton rail link. I'm tempted to suggest that perhaps the moon is made of green cheese after all. But it's worth hoping. I agree, it is a wonderful idea. But then so is the wish for everyone to live happily ever after.
At least the CPRE made public their opposition to West Devon Borough Council's current ill-conceived plan for an enormous Tavistock housing estate. Perhaps those officers of the borough council who are determined to impose this inappropriate proposal,will take note. Can they really not come up with something better?
Arguments against the current proposals are gaining ground. It is incontravertible that the unsustainable and easy-option choice of urban sprawl as currently proposed — so devastating to the environment, if for no other reasons (and there are many), be withdrawn and a new focus on the needs of the wider dispersed communities take its place.
In this context it is surprising to learn that certain town councillors are not honouring their mandate. In spite of the council minutes recording a unanimous vote against, the commissioning by the councillors of a planning consultant (at town expense) to make a case against, and the overwhelming vote against expressed by their own electorate at the parish poll, at the recent meeting of the borough council to vote for continuance of the core strategy, these dual-hatted councillors (who sit on both councils) did not follow the well-documented wishes of the town. Perhaps they could explain?
Not only is there the considerable body of local opinion against the plans, the CPRE, an organisation whose opinion cannot be taken lightly, also condemns them.
But now another reason for questioning them has appeared, in the form of the newly published Government guidelines for strategic planners. These state that any plans must: 'promote sustainable economic growth, tackle challenges posed by climate change, and contribute to sustainable development.' Not much hope of any of these being met under the current proposals, is there?
Jeremy Davies