THE demise of Government imposed regional housing targets is unlikely to have an effect on West Devon Borough Council's core strategy, in which housing numbers have been set in line with demand, a planning enquiry into the controversial development framework was told this week.

On the opening day of the six-day enquiry into the blueprint, which will dictate development over the next 16 years, principal planning officer for the borough council Jo Perry said the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), which the Government is looking to abolish with the new Localism Bill, set a housing target for West Devon which was about right.

The core strategy includes 900 new homes for Okehampton and 750 for Tavistock as well as infrastructure improvements.

Some local authorities, unhappy about the figures being imposed on them, have put their core strategies on hold to wait and see what the Government is going to do.?But despite calls to do so from local residents, West Devon made it clear that it would not go back to the table.

Mrs Perry said:?'The housing numbers that the RSS gave us were about right in order to satisfy the housing needs and to recognise the special character of West Devon.

'Whatever happens with the RSS we would have stuck to those figures anyway.'

Planning inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Paul Crysell said the decision in the High Court last week which ruled that Communities Secretary Eric Pickles was wrong to seek to revoke regional planning strategies through discretionary powers had little bearing on this public enquiry.

Planning lawyers from Cala Homes said the revocation would have a crucial impact on housing and development projects across England.

Leading this first core strategy public enquiry since the high court hearing, Mr Crysell said: 'I see little point in the council reacting to the Cala Homes decision.

'I think you need to take a more pragmatic approach and look at the RSS as a dying beast and start to write it out of your plan.'

Mr Crysell said he had received 600 representations on the core strategy from members of the public, with the main concern being the scale of development in specific locations in the two main towns of Okehampton and Tavistock.

Opponents are concerned that large developments will create urban extensions to the rural towns and want housing dispersed more evenly through the borough.

On the opening day, head of housing and community delivery Marion Playle said community involvement in the consultation process had been as 'open, transparent and as engaging as possible.'

Tavistock resident Ann Keelan said the consultation process may have been technically and procedurally correct but left a lot to be desired in terms of local democracy.

'People were made to feel like a nuisance if they wanted things explained to them,' she said.

'People are not being listened to and everything they are saying is being defensively counteracted by the council. The council was only concerned about building its evidence base to be able to deliver what it wants to do.'

Today (Thursday) the public enquiry will focus on Okehampton and next Tuesday (November 23) it will be the turn of Tavistock.