Okehampton councillors on Monday voiced concerns over the new draft proposal for housing development for the town.
Members of the town council and representatives of Okehampton Hamlets Parish Council were at a special meeting, along with Chris Dunford, West Devon Borough Council's planning policy manager, to discuss the draft Local Development Framework Plan, proposed by the borough.
Councillors' main concerns were over the amount of houses earmarked for the town, local schools, public transport and medical and dentist treatments, as well as the social divide that some thought could be impossible to avoid.
The new draft proposes the building of 900 houses on the eastern side of Okehampton around Crediton Road. The site will also include a neighbourhood centre, providing local shops and other services.
It is also planned to develop around ten hectares of land close to Exeter Road for business and employment purposes, a second primary school, and a new road to link Exeter Road with Crediton Road.
To cope with the levels of traffic in the town centre due to the major development, a key part of the strategy for Okehampton is the provision of a relief road for the town.
The intention is for this to provide a link between North Street and Market Street/Upcott Hill to enable some traffic accessing the centre to avoid the main traffic lights.
Mr Dunford told members that 4,400 houses in West Devon needed to be built between 2006 and 2026, which works out at 220 houses a year in West Devon.
He added that of the 4,400 houses, land for 1,600 still needed to be found in West Devon.
He said: 'We have looked at both Tavistock and Okehampton and of the 1,600, around 900 are proposed for Okehampton and 500 for Tavistock.
'The Government has made clear the 4,400 is not a target — it is a minimum.'
Cllr Christine Marsh asked Mr Dunford why Okehampton had been allocated 900 houses while Tavistock only had 500.
Mr Dunford replied: 'We simply looked at Okehampton and Tavistock and took into account the constraints, the employment and the landscapes of both and we found that Okehampton had fewer of those problems.
'Taking it all into account, we found that Okehampton had more scope for houses.'
Since the proposed development for Okehampton as outlined in West Devon Borough Council's Local Development Framework Plan was published, fears have grown for the future of the town and rural communities.
Almost 1,500 signatures have been collected as part of a petition by Okehampton Sustainable Development Group, which plans to hand it in to 10 Downing Street tomorrow (Friday).
In a statement, the group said: 'Okehampton does not have the infrastructure in place to cope with large scale development.
'The vast number of new houses which have already been built in the last ten years is more than enough to meet local and national demand for housing, affordable or otherwise.'
A public consultation meeting took place yesterday (Wednesday) in the Charter Hall for local residents to have their say on what they think of the new draft plan.