M J Lavercombe, of Ingsdon, has sent us a copy of the letter to Teignbridge Council Planning Department:

Regarding the proposed development of NA1 – Houghton Barton and NA6 Bradley Barton as shown in the Mid-Devon Advertiser...

I would like to say that I am quite baffled by the amount of good farming land that could be included within this plan.

You will already know that South West Farming outperformed the national economy by some five per cent last year. If you do not, I suggest you find out what else it says.

This is surely an indication that farming is on the increase and we should all do what we can from using good farming land for development, particularly when the infrastructre is not there or ever likely to be to access Newton Abbot.

With the current building going on – approximately 1,000 houses are being built, or are proposed to be built, which means that some 2,000 extra cars will be on the roads at the Mile End end of town, all trying to get to town.

It is bad enough now, and it was only a few weeks ago that I accompanied a friend to your planning office to ask if her land would ever get permission to be built on and was told by the lady from planning that the rules were not on green field sites.

Yet you were already aware that building had commenced.

It does appear that if you have the money you can get through planning with no problems, but you do have to wake up to the criminal destruction of good farming land and a golf course before you do untold damage, not only to the town of Newton Abbot but to the beautiful valleys that surround it.

It does make me wonder if the planners have any idea at all of what they are doing.

Newton Abbot has been decimated by the permission to build out of town supermarkets over the years. Even more are contemplated. Shame on you. As a result, the town centre is full of charity shops and cheap discount centres.

It is time the brown field sites were used up first and all the empty homes renovated to accommodate all the people who supposedly wish to live in this area.

The other developments at Kingsteignton and Kingskerswell will only make the traffic problems worse, as the infrastructre cannot stand more traffic.

Newton Abbot gets gridlocked now and that is without the volume of traffic anticipated by the current building programme.

We already know that the powerful developer who wishes to develop the land around Seale-Hayne does not live in the area and can only be looking to make a killing on the development and could not care less about the farming land. Maybe it is time you did?

I would suggest you rethink the plans before you and start using your head and think about what you are doing to the farming land in the area and maybe consider a restrictive building programme and try to keep away from good solid farming land and the destruction of the wildlife thereon.

I am against any further destruction of greenfield sites in the Mile End area, including the golf course. This is a public amenity and should stay as such and the beautiful green valleys remain as such.MORE LETTERS ONLINE