PETER E MARDLE, of Newton Abbot, writes: Once again we read in the Mid-Devon Advertiser how Teignbridge Council has yet again decided to fly in the face of public opinion by granting a planning application which now allows that 'monstrous carbuncle', which is more commonly referred to as 'the new laundry', to extend its already hideous countenance further into the glorious surrounding countryside. We are constantly bombarded with platitudes from various members of that august body who attempt to justify their latest desecrations with lame and pitiful excuses which suggest that such decisions are made in the 'public interest' when, in fact, the views and opinions of members of the public are completely ignored. There have been many recent examples of this council's disregard for public opinion, including the infamous Kingskerswell bypass debacle and the nonsense spouted in respect of the Air Fusion concerts, where we were informed that one member of the council at that time had canvassed public opinion on the suitability of such a project. Many of you reading this will remember that at one time there was a fine outdoor swimming pool standing on the site now occupied by Sainsbury's, this being donated by a gracious lady to be used by the public in perpetuity. What happened? Despite huge public disapproval at that time, the council compulsorily bought the site and sold it on for private development, justifying such a decision, I'm sure, by stating that 'it was done in the public interest'. May I suggest that when the next council elections again rear their ugly heads, those councillors who cringe and beg for us to cast our votes in their direction remember the decisions they have made 'on our behalf' and think again, and I would urge that other members of the general public also remember the decisions which were made in their names and register their disapproval in the time-honoured manner.
