JOHN?MITCHELL, of Bradley Vale, Newton Abbot, writes:

I refer to the letter from Mark Young in last week's edition regarding the inability of Newton Abbot's road system to cope with the planned expansion of the housing stock in and around the town. Mr Young's letter highlighted a fact that is plain for all to see with the exception of the planning and housing departments at Teignbridge Council.

One wonders how a district council can be so out of touch with the problems and requirements of a major town like Newton Abbot. We have the fiasco of the technical college project, which was originally planned for Bradley Lane until it was found to be impossible. Teignbridge Council then purchased the Blackler's site in Kingsteignton Road regardless of warnings by our town councillors that parking would be a problem. Now the county council highways engineers are recommending that planning permission be refused on the ground of unacceptable traffic congestion. What a potential waste of money.

However, we do not have to look far to ascertain the reason for Teignbridge's determination to fill Newton Abbot with colleges and housing. It is all about money, and in particular the new homes bonus.

In an effort to balance the books and convince the population they are doing a good job by holding council tax at current levels, Teignbridge plan to build as many new homes as possible, regardless of the impact on Newton Abbot and its surrounding areas. According to the government website in 2014-2015 Teignbridge will receive a cumulative government grant of £2,080,358 in New Homes Bonus, and as their plans for even more homes unfold over the years, so will the amount of the New Homes Bonus increase.

So, it's all about money. Forget logistics, traffic congestion, air pollution, noise pollution or inadequate parking. All Teignbridge Council is interested in is cash. Knowing that government funding will be severely reduced over the coming years it has embarked on a reckless plan to bolster its cash flow by building unwanted homes that will eventually result in a vast increase in traffic related problems for Newton Abbot and surrounding areas.MORE LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION