BURRATOR Parish Council came out against South West Water's application to develop Burrator Reservoir last week — overturning an earlier decision by the council's planning committee.

The new decision was greeted with applause by the 100-strong audience, many of whom had urged the council to reflect the views of the parishioners they were supposed to represent, after the planning committee had treated them with 'cavalier disregard' — according to one man.

At that meeting, a vote showed 152 people opposed to the plan with only six in favour, but the planning committee went on to support the application by 4 to 3.

Cllr Sue Deloose asked the members of the planning committee to reassess their decision.

'We are here to represent the local flavour and input that to the planning authority,' she said.

'The commercial aspects (of the application) are completely unacceptable to a great number of people. I haven't had to knock on doors, I've been harassed everywhere I go.'

She said if any part of the application had been put forward by 'Joe Bloggs', the planning committee would have thrown it straight out.

The council voted 7 to 3 against ratifying the planning committee's decision.

Graham Ledger, chairman of the Friends of Burrator, said: 'We are delighted that the council, at last, has seen sense and voted against the application by SWW.

'This is only a start, however, because the most important part is that Dartmoor National Park Authority turn this down at their meeting.

'We, Friends of Burrator, wrote to the 48 parish councils around Dartmoor — to date everybody has responded supporting our campaign. It's incredible, they are all right behind us.'

Mr Ledger's group has also been circulating a petition which has so far attracted almost 1,000 signatures and he said they had received dozens of letters from all over the country, all against the proposals.

'There are very few people who want this,' he said.

Dr Tom Greeves, chairman of the Dartmoor Society, said: 'I'm very glad to see the full parish council represent the wishes of the parishioners.

'It's good it's in line with West Devon Borough Council's planning committee view — part of a large body of opinion that has to be conveyed to the DNPA. There are hundreds of people in opposition to SWW, I hope DNPA takes account of the massive rejection of these proposals.'

SWW has applied to convert the century-old Burrator Lodge into a café and to demolish an historic iron shed to make way for a car park.

It is seen by many as a re-emergence of the plan to commercialise the area mooted by South West Water, Dartmoor National Park Authority and Devon County Council several years ago and rejected after public opposition.

The issue will go before Dartmoor National Park Authority's planning committee on the first Friday, March 3.