ANOTHER KINGSTEIGNTON MOTHER writes: At last all is clear. the Standards Board has decided that councillors with strong views, such as Mr Connett and Mr Cox, can comment on options in the LDF without it prejudicing any decision that might be made in the future. This must come as welcome news to the Kingskerswell councillor who was reported to the Standards Board by a Liberal Democrat councillor for sitting in on a meeting about the Kingskerswell by-pass when he had previously voiced negative opinions about the matter. However, it does call into question why, for the last 15 months, we have been hearing that Kingsteignton councillors cannot comment on the urban village plans of AWE. As most of them do not sit on any of the committees where the decisions will be made, then surely they could not be considered to have any influence in pre-determining any final decisions. It would seem that the actions of the councillors who have imposed the gags are questionable, to say the least. No doubt we will now hear a multitude of Lib-Dem voices arguing against the Kingsteignton Urban Village plan, in line with their election campaigning of 2001. In case they have forgotten what they promised the people of Kingsteignton in their election flyer, I will repeat it for their benefit: Liberal Democrats on the district and parish councils will continue to support the proposals in the local plan which limits the building of residential properties to infilling'. As a member of KREAG, I wholeheartedly support this Lib Dem view. I also support the comments made by Teignbridge Council in their Urban Fringe Study which emphasised the importance of the woodland that used to exist at Newcross to the landscape of the area. Added to this, I also support the aforementioned document's comments about the importance of the greenfield buffer zone at Sandygate (between the mineral workings and the residential area) where it states that development is not recommended. While Mr Cox states that people should discuss their concerns with their councillors, the experience of people who have tried to do so, such as your correspondent Mr Rogers, has proved less than successful as he is still awaiting an answer to a question he put to the chairman of the Kingsteignton Parish Council more than 12 months ago.
