Sharon and Bill Newman, of Church Lane, Christow, write:

This is our reply to a letter published on December 16 concerning a car park in Christow from Maggie Bonnell, of Christow.

This issue arises from a retrospective application prompted by the service of Enforcement Notices on an individual for development within the DNP without planning permission.

The grounds for refusing the planning application were not as set out in her letter but as follows: 'The proposed change of use and car park, by reason of the visual impact, would have a detrimental effect upon the character, appearance and tranquility of this part of the Dartmoor National Park.'

The proposal was also contrary to a further six stipulated plans or policies.

We were surprised to find ourselves pilloried in the local media as we understood that the planning system is a democratic process whereby persons are legitimately entitled to object to an application if they feel they have appropriate grounds. In this case we felt that the development and associated activity would be detrimental to our quality of life.

It is a pity that the author did not ascertain the full facts before resorting to such tactics or perhaps she does not appreciate the full implications of the current application.

Tellingly the application had to be significantly downsized to obtain the support of the parish council.

The existence of adequate parking in the applicant's livery yard, located in the same field as the manege and very close to her home, appears to have been 'overlooked'.

It is ironic that Cllr Harper was singled out for criticism given that his observation as to 'creeping development' is particularly relevant in this case.

Many of the points raised in the letter are not relevant to the core issue, which is that development and change of use has taken place without permission.

The election of an individual to a local council does not automatically exempt that person from compliance with planning regulations. If anything surely the reverse is the case.THIS AND OTHER LETTERS IN OUR DIGITAL EDITION