A CAMPAIGN ­group which has slammed the borough council's development plan for Tavistock as 'a disaster' is calling for a local referendum.

The Tavy Valley Protection Group (TVPG) is concerned that proposals in West Devon Borough Council's Local Development Framework Core Strategy document will dramatically affect the appearance of the south west edge of the town.

They feel that a 750-unit housing estate and link road across the Tavy Valley is unacceptable and want residents to vote on this at a referendum.

A parish meeting will be held in the town hall next Wednesday (July 15) at 6.30pm where residents will be asked to support holding a referendum or parish poll.

Member of the group Jeremy Davies said he believed there were people who did not realise the extent of the proposals or felt their opinion would not make any difference.

He said: 'There has been a consultation process but nobody has yet been able to find out any evidence supporting the council's proposal. By holding a referendum we will get a proper reflection of what people want.

'What we are trying to achieve is a reconsideration of the whole core strategy document. We are not expecting it to go away but it needs to be reassessed because of the impact on the Tavy Valley and having all the new housing in one place. This plan will be a disaster for the area.'

The local development framework would see the western side of Tavistock developed to include, along with the 750-home estate, a new school, hospital, reinstatement of the rail link to Bere Alston and a link road between the A390 Callington and the A386 Plymouth roads.

The protection group says the road will be 'devastating' to the valley which has been classified as an area of great landscape value and is next to an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Borough councillor, Chris Jenkins who voted against the recommendations in the core strategy, said it was important to protect the character and heritage of Tavistock.

He said other options should be considered, like dispersing housing throughout the borough so there were small pockets of development.

'There are quite a few councillors who are desperate to have new homes in some of the villages because they do not have enough residents to sustain the facilities.

'There is no disputing we need the core strategy in place but we feel we are being beaten over the head with this threat that we will be in trouble if it is not in place soon.

'What we do dispute is what is in it and that is a socking great housing estate on the outskirts of town. I believe a parish poll is a more robust means of bringing the council to account.'

TVPG said it had received a 'groundswell' of support since an article about its campaign appeared in the Times in May, but it still hopes people who have not yet written to the council would do so before the consultation period ends next Friday (July 17).

For a referendum to take place, six electors of the parish, the mayor or any two councillors have to first sign a notice asking for a parish meeting where the subject in question will be discussed. The meeting next week has been called by town councillors John Sellis and Mike Harper.

A parish poll can be demanded at the meeting by the chairman, any ten electors present or one third of those present, whichever is the lesser.

TVPG will put forward the motion that the plan to develop a 750-unit housing estate on the edge of Tavistock with a link road across the Tavy Valley is unacceptable and should be withdrawn and that 'a dispersed development strategy should be reinstated that supports the regeneration of rural communities and minimises the impact on our market towns'.

The borough council is responsible for arranging parish polls — people will be asked to vote in the same way as electing local councillors with polling stations in the town and Whitchurch Village Hall —but the town council meets the cost, which is somewhere in the region of £2,500.

Tavistock town clerk Roger Howard said the results of a parish poll were purely advisory and the planning inspector, who would make a decision on the core strategy before it went to the Secretary of State, could ignore it if they so wished to.

A spokesperson for West Devon Borough Council said the core strategy had been developed in conjunction with the community and local organisations over the last four years.

Following the consultation period the next stage of the process was taking into consideration all the representations that had been made over the last six weeks.

'We are however, currently looking at submitting the strategy to the Secretary of State in the autumn,' said the spokesperson.