Cllr Beryl Austen, mayor of Kingsteignton, writes:

The article on the front page of your Kingsteignton edition last week relating to the resignation of Ken Tuckett from the town council struck a sad note.

Ken is right to say that the widescale development of Kingsteignton has received planning permission, but the battle is not lost.

The town council and the district councillors who represent Kingsteignton played a major part in opposing the applications, based on clear planning considerations. Frustrating for them, for when these applications came before the development control committee, though their representations had a substantial effect on councillors' decision making, seven of the nine applications were approved by either narrow majorities or, in one case of a large housing development, by the casting vote of the chairman.

Those able to represent the town did their level best to further the aims and wishes of Kingsteignton folk.

We are where we are, but there is still a lot for us all to work diligently to achieve.

The improvement of existing roads and new roads are essential to aid traffic flows in the town; our schools do not have the capacity to deal with the estimated number of children who will occupy the housing to be erected; we need to come down heavily on pollution by traffic, dust and smells; public transport will need to respond to increased numbers of residents; we must monitor the level of affordable housing offered and continue to insist that our 200 homeless families who do not wish to leave the town should be provided with affordable housing first... and they need jobs close to their homes. 'Sustainable development' is not just a catchphrase, it is an imperative.

Many young people are proud to have been born here and to have attended our two excellent primary schools and Teign School and they want to stay. Only last week a young man came up to me and said he was proud to be 'a Kingsteignton boy'. These are among the reasons why there are still battles to be won in the best interests of the town and particularly our young people.

My only comment about protest movements – several of which have been active in Teignbridge in the last 16 years I have been here – is that they are sincere people, often with a personal and understandable interest which causes them to resist a particular development. But they rarely achieve more than can be achieved through democratic means.

Dare I say there is even a tendency to create a negative and hostile feeling in the town, which is not in the best interests of the community.

In my time serving on councils I have only ever met others who, like Ken, are there to deal with problems and improve life for their communities. There is still scope for influencing development in Kingsteignton.MORE LETTERS IN OUR ONLINE EDITION