NO more mass housing building in Okehampton without changes to basic infrastructure ? that was the message from residents attending a public meeting in the town last week. During a lively meeting at the Charter Hall last Thursday evening residents responded to an invitation by Okehampton Town Council and Okehampton and district Hamlets Parish Council to make their views known, so that the councils could make a united response to the West Devon Borough Council?s Local Development Framework plans, which has to be in by today (Thursday). In the LDF, as well as the 500 homes already proposed for a site on the Exeter Road housing estate, the town was facing the prospect of 650 new homes by 2026 ? following figures set by central government. The town and hamlets councils say if such major housing development went ahead, it would be suited better in the west side of the town rather than in the east. Cllr Tony Leech, the mayor of Okehampton, who co-chaired the meeting with Derek Webber, chairman of the Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council, said: ?The Government would not put anything into the infrastructure nor would West Devon ? they say they haven?t the money. The only people who will put money into any new infrastructure is the developers.? Cllr Leech agreed with proposals for new industrial areas, as long as they had easy accessibility to the A30 and the railway. But he added: ?Both councils feel any retail development outside the town would be detrimental to the town centre. ?There should be no more development to the east of the town, but if it is agreed it would mean no more hamlets. You might as well call it a ?new town?,? he said. Under the LDF, 300 homes are earmarked for Tavistock ? this was unfair said Mr Webber, who suggested the two towns should have an equal distribution to cut down the numbers planned for Okehampton ? as well as counting those houses built on infill. He also wanted any new housing to be built for people from West Devon ? but conceded ?unfortunately it doesn?t work like that?. One letter submitted to the council said that West Devon should forget about plans to ?bolt? more homes onto Tavistock and Okehampton and just build a complete new town instead! Another resident suggested these houses should be built in smaller towns and villages such as South Zeal and Bridestowe. Derek Webber agreed: ?I said years ago that we should build ten houses a year in places like that and if we did we would not have these problems now. But we cannot bury our heads in the sand; these figures for more housing by 2026 will not go away.? One man said he had returned to Devon to live five years ago after living in Hull, which had just lost 35,000 homes in the recent flooding ? mainly due to drainage on housing estates not been able to cope with excess water. He told the meeting: ?This development is going to be fact but I know that by 2026, the numbers of houses central Government want to build here can change. If people tonight say that ?West is Best? then you must send in letters to West Devon (Borough Council) by September 6. This is so important it will affect the town?s future. It is a time bomb in the making.? Another man told the meeting: ?They, West Devon, should not dictate to us. ?They should have the decency to listen to us. This is supposed to be the ?Garden of England?.? We have people at West Devon from Hatherleigh and Tavistock making judgements on housing in Okehampton. ?We have to make it quite clear that our proposals are sound and if they don?t accept our findings then we want an independent inquiry.? One woman added: ?What is Okehampton going to be like in 10, 20, 30, 40 years time. All this lovely countryside will be ruined if we allow this to go through now without a fight.? Another man added: ?Okehampton in 15 years time will just die ? it will just become one big housing estate.? More than 70 people attended last Thursday?s meeting and many were keen to voice their concerns what the LDF would mean to the town?s future. Tony Leech concluded: ?I cannot emphasise how much this meeting is so important to the town. We have 70 people here tonight out of 6,000 and we have to generate 2,000 voices to make them listen.? A 14-point joint letter from the town and hamlets councils was sent to West Devon Borough Council this week, after it was ratified by Okehampton town councillors at their meeting on Monday night. The letter offers support for the principles of the plan and its social objectives but requests that industrial development be kept to the east of the town, and housing be located mainly to the west. It also calls for considerable infrastructure development before any new building goes ahead, a reduction in the number of new houses to be built from 650 to 450 in line with development in Tavistock, and a guarantee that there will be no changes to this target before 2026. The letter was not universally supported by the town councillors. Cllr David Weekes said: ?We should say that we should stop the development completely for the time being and not suggest alternatives.? Others argued that the letter, which will eventually be shown to the government inspector who must approve the plan, had to contain alternatives if it was to be taken seriously. The letter was adopted by a majority vote.
