I ATTENDED the public exhibition on the Mid Devon Development Plan document, specifically the chapter on Crediton. Plans were on display and officers in attendance.
I tried hard not to focus too much on the vexed question of the "Western Route", even though, sinisterly, it was the only route marked in firmly on the plan, apart from that of the original by-pass, which was clearly and tantalisingly marked in red, in all its glory!
It does say in the document, however, that this does not feature in the County Council's capital programme and is not in their Local Transport Plan.
I am inclined to be a bit simple minded when confronted with lots of letters and numbers that relate to various colours signifying different types of development, so I then concentrated on the housing allocations - 415 dwellings in total - all but one, at George Hill, being situated at the eastern end of town.
The housing allocation at the Tesco site did not appear to have been included.
Having drawn a blank on getting any reaction to my questions concerning the problems of hugely increased traffic and of parking, I tried to extract from an officer whether he considered that the present sewerage systems would be able to cope with all the increased development in this part of town?
(Ask Joan Farley for a graphic description of what floats down Exeter Road past her house after heavy rainfall). His answer was: "Nobody has told us it can't".
I was also unable to discover whether there was likely to be adequate availability of other essential services, such as doctors' surgeries and school places?
The only thing we shall not be short of is supermarkets. I left the exhibition feeling somewhat frustrated and disappointed. I hope other people may have had more luck.
I'm still trying to work out how to fill in my response form.
I sometimes think Crediton is like a large box containing jigsaw pieces. From time to time the box is opened and out comes a road here, a housing estate there and some industry somewhere else.
What is needed is for somebody in authority to take all the pieces out and complete the picture first, so that we can end up with a chocolate box town, with everything in the right place.
Now I really do think I'm losing it!
Helen Lawes
Mill Street
Crediton