IT was with great concern that I read Alan Quick's report of the town council meeting entitled "Route of link road should be modified" (Crediton Courier, March 20).

I was the member of the public who spoke up at the meeting and I feel my views expressed at the meeting were totally misrepresented. I was not protesting about the depreciation in value to my property (although that is obviously a concern).

My primary concern was and is that I chose the lovely house I live in primarily for its rural aspect and quiet location, both of which will be destroyed by the new proposal for the link road, as it would mean that it would now be located at the bottom of my garden.

Like other inhabitants of Downeshead Lane, Tolleys and Exeter Road, I received no prior warning of the new route before seeing it in the newspaper. No-one at the County council had the courtesy to bother informing those most affected – it would appear that we aren't important!

The fact that all of us will have our environment negatively impacted by noise pollution as lorries come round the hill passing within yards of our houses, that we will be subjected to light pollution from their lights at night on top of the increased air pollution all seem to have passed the planners by.

I believe that one of the arguments for this new route is that the integrity of Downes Head will be maintained – is a hill more important than people? And how is a hill's integrity maintained when it will have traffic travelling round it?

There is also the argument that it will have less impact on the Downes estate which is of historical importance – are the planners aware that our house is Grade 2 listed (and probably the oldest brick built house in Crediton); that the proposed route will be travelling within yards of Buller Square, which is made up of listed buildings surrounding a cobbled courtyard; that the proposed route will potentially go alongside a listed cobbled pavement; that an ancient orchard will be lost and that the birthplace of St Boniface will be over-run by lorries?

I have to question who will gain from the proposed new route – certainly none of those for whom the road is meant to bring relief.

One does wonder whether before long we won't see the hillside round which the road will run covered by housing – and who, I ask, would financially gain from that?

I only hope that our local councillors and the "powers-that-be" start understanding that just because this route may be slightly cheaper, it is not an improvement for the people whom it should be benefiting.

We will fight this tooth and nail and continue voicing our disgust, not only at this option but also at the underhand way they have tried to foist it upon us.

Sinead Partridge

27 Downeshead Lane

Crediton

Editor's footnote: We are sorry if our correspondent feels she has been misrepresented. The information used in our report was supplied to us and used in good faith.