WHAT a pity that Geoffrey Cox MP and Mel Stride decided to make the 500 homes development into a political issue. Party politics, scoring points and the ?I? or ?me? factor have no place in local government. Councillors are elected to serve the electorate. Over the years we have heard the people who care about what has been, and is, happening to Okehampton, say, ?There is no point in saying anything, the council will do what they want anyway?. What a sad state of affairs. On July 5 scores/hundreds of residents left everyone present in no doubt whatsoever that they are ready to make their voices heard, and while we are all aware that the development will almost certainly happen we are not going to accept that we have to watch politicians, councillors and developers ride roughshod over us. It is time that the powers that be mremember that if we didn?t put our ?Xs? beside their names they wouldn?t be where they are today. At the end of the day we hold the trump card. However, before election time comes around again, we have at least to try to insist that planners and developers get the infrastructure right before the first brick is laid. It doesn?t take a genius to work out that our lovely town is in a valley, with two rivers and with hills on every side, so should we get a back up of foul sewage or torrential rain it will all end up in the town centre. Don?t laugh and say this is a crank; maybe I am, but did all those people in Worcester expect the disaster that they are having to sort out? No, but disasters do happen. An act of God is beyond our control, but the disaster that could happen here will be man trying to prove he is cleverer than God I am well aware that it is the government who gives the orders to the county councils, and they in turn pass them down the line until they reach us. But surely we the ordinary people have the right to make our voices heard. We must all work together to stand up to these faceless people who sit behind a desk, knowing absolutely nothing about the areas that they have designated for redevelopment. Perhaps our councillors ? town and borough, possibly county ? should sit down, take a good look at the disasters that have occurred here - because of them. Get that sorted out, then talk about new developments! I would say no chance! Edna Hicks The Heathers Okehampton