I AM writing to you to register my shocked incomprehension at the plan to site Bridestowe's new village hall and car park on the school's playing field.

I wonder if we have learnt anything over the past few years, watching our children's sporting facilities disappearing under concrete?

It is worth remembering all the hard work and fund-raising that has been done on behalf of the school to improve the outside facilities. How is having a car park in the school playground with the attendant safety and pollution aspects going to benefit the children?

I can well see that the local education authority would be in favour of this scheme; after all they stand to gain a free building, erected and maintained by the village that would ultimately have no control over its usage.

I can foresee a great deal of friction between the village and the school about who has the priority usage of the hall. What will happen to daytime adult education? What about exhibitions that need to span several days?

I also assume that the Department for Education and Employment will quite rightly extend their strict no smoking policy to this building. How is this going to work for dances, wedding receptions, quizzes and the like?

Surely, the better proposal would be to rebuild the hall on the present site with a permanent link across the river and the attendant development of facilities on the green.

I would urge anyone who feels as strongly about this as I do to write to the planning authority, the village hall committee, and the school to register your objections.

Terry Pritchard

38 Bowden Hill

Crediton

(A former resident of Bridestowe and a former governor of the

primary school)