A POPULATION explosion in Tavistock is being forecast by councillors desperate to fight proposals contained in the new Local Plan.

They are warning the public this is their last chance to object to changes in the plan.

Independent borough and town councillor Pat Warne said Tavistock could expect up to 605 new homes to be built in the town during the next ten years.

Initially, the town was earmarked for 550, but the figure increased following local consultation after the plan was first published,

Cllr Warne said: 'That 605 doesn't take into account a large number of houses that already have planning permission.

'My worry is when you multiply that by 2.6 people per house, you have a massive population increase.

'You also have incredible density of housing and each of these houses is expected to have two cars.'

She said Tavistock had ended up with extra houses because communities in other areas of West Devon had rejected them at the first stage of the Local Plan.

According to the second draft, housing at Bishopsmead increases from 120 to 215 with a density increase from 25 to 30 per hectare.

The Manor, off Launceston Road, increases from 120 to 140 and at Monksmead, housing density will rise from 25 to 35 dwellings per hectare.

Cllr Warne said: 'Tavistock is a characterful small market town in a narrow river valley. We have flooding problems and limited capacity at one of the largest schools in the country — I am very concerned the infrastructure will not be in place before the developers start to build.'

Cllr Warne said tomorrow (Friday), there will be an exhibition at the Guide Hall in Bedford car park, when maps will be on display showing the land earmarked by West Devon Borough Council for extra housebuilding.

Councillors will be on hand between 1pm and 5pm to answer questions and residents will be able to make comments.

Cllr Warne said: 'We really, really need the public to fill in these forms and show the inspector the depth and strength of feeling there is against this huge increase in housing, which is totally wrong for Tavistock.'

A public meeting will also be held in the Guide Hall on Monday May 20, starting at 7.30pm.

Cllr Dick Eberlie, the borough's Conservative Group leader, said it was very important people made the effort to come to one of the events.

He said: 'The inspector will decide the fate of Tavistock in the light of Government instructions — but also in the light of people's views.'

Cllr Eberlie said the manner in which additional housing was imposed on communities by central government was 'arbitrary and entirely unhelpful'.

'We are being forced to rush our fences which is such a great pity. It's wrong in principle and in practice — we do need housing, but we want to decided for ourselves the pace, particularly using brownfield sites as they become available.'

He added that he was 'very worried' about the effect of extra housing on the town's roads, sewerage system and facilities.

Liberal Democrat Cllr David Stapleton said: 'There has been simply no consideration whatsoever for local needs and existing facilities and certainly no plans to improve

facilities in advance of any housebuilding.

'If we get a loud enough voice making these main points, we might still have a chance — the inspector will only listen to the voice of local people if it's loud enough.

'We just feel we should determine our own local needs, instead of this constant pressure to take housing, for which we have no sewerage or highways infrastructure or even social facilities.'

Tavistock Town councillors last week voiced their concerns over the Local Plan.

They voted to object to the overall increase in housing, but supported change of use at Brook to employment land.

Any objections to changes in the Local Plan must be lodged with the borough council by 5pm on May 22. Following this, the borough will consult with objectors.

Objections that cannot be resolved will be considered by an independent inspector at a public inquiry.

The Local Plan was drawn up by a working group of councillors and officers at West Devon Borough Council.

Chris Dunford, principle planning officer, forward planning, said: 'We will consider all objections very carefully but I have to say the room for manoeuvre for the council at this stage is limited.

'Objectors have the right to appear at a public inquiry, which will take place some time in the future. The amount of notice the inspector takes of their objections depends on merit — objections with a high level of merit on planning grounds he will take very seriously.'

Mr Dunford could not say when the inquiry will take place but it was likely to be at the end of the year.