THE complaint by Mr Stowell and Mr Benson (Letters January 12) is a depressing expression of blinkered NIMBY-ism that misinterprets the planning system and diverts attention from the public interest, which is what the system exists to promote. The principle of development of the Pentillie Road site was firmly established in early 2005 when the borough council adopted, without opposition or amendment, the Local Plan revision that had been developed over the previous seven years ? moreover with the fullest and most open public consultation possible throughout. The principle of spreading development across settlements of all sizes stemmed from a public consensus that small communities will die if not allowed to grow. The effect of the outline planning application was to give the planning authority the opportunity to apply conditions to the grant of consent; there was never any serious question of refusing consent to develop land that had been explicitly allocated for the specific purpose applied for. The parish council did not object. Almost all the objections related to ?reserved? matters, irrelevant to outline consent. The conditions of grant include provision of 35% of affordable social housing, (desperately needed in West Devon), public play space and its maintenance, and contributions towards community facilities, all of which are the product of the borough council?s policy that Mr Stowell and Mr Benson affect to despise. The NIMBYs of Bere Alston need to accept that they have lost a spurious argument to a broad consensus of public opinion that has, through a meticulous process of public consultation and hard work by the ?bureaucrats? (who are far from ?indifferent? as alleged), prevailed; and that their community will be the beneficiary. Specious calumny directed at me, my committee, my officers and the planning process will not enhance their credibility or that of their case. Roger W Mathew Chairman West Devon planning and licensing committee
