Cllr Mike Hocking, Bradley Ward, Newton Abbot, town and district councillor, writes:

I wish to correct a letter from Mr Jim Wormald. I did not and have not publicly reprimanded Abbotskerswell and/or Wolborough residents for their stance against the Teignbridge Local Plan. As chairman of the meeting that was reported in the MDA on Friday, January 30, I can assure him that Cllr Fry did not take umbrage in what Abbotskerswell parish council was doing, just in the way that as neighbours there was no or little communication between Newton Abbot Town Council and themselves.

Mr Wormald is quite right when he wrote that one of the main wards to be affected by the Local Plan is Bradley and that infrastructure is vital, but I do take exception to his comment implying that Cllr Fry and I do nothing to bring about the much-needed improvements in infrastructure.

Can I assure Mr Wormald and others, that we do all we are able to do and apply all the pressures we are able to apply, in order to safeguard our ward and the residents living within it.

He knows as others do that new roads take time and are down to funding, in an ideal world this would be forced to happen before any development takes place but as we know to our cost this has not and will not happen now.

Devon county, with Teignbridge, have started to look at funding and design of the new link road between Ashburton Road A381 and Forches Cross A382; in fact the new roundabout by the new development at Hele Park is part of that new road but it may well be a few years before the link is completed.

I would like to reassure Mr Wormald and Bradley Ward that I spend my time trying to obtain assurances but without the support from Highways, who seem to keep changing their minds as to whether or not we have a problem within our ward with traffic.

I feel that sometimes I am beating my head against a very hard, closed door, but I will keep trying.