THOUSANDS of ‘Postcards from Devon’ elicited what countryside campaigners described as a ‘disappointing’ response from housing minister Kit Malthouse — days before he left the job.

After being bombarded by two thousand postcards from supporters of the Devon branch of the countryside charity CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), housing minister Kit Malthouse MP failed to provide any assurance that new housing developments would be scaled back.

Days before moving into his new role as policing minister last month, Mr Malthouse wrote to the members of CPRE Devon thanking them for raising the ‘crucial issue of protecting our rural environment’. However, he added that Devon would not be spared its quota of new homes, as ‘all areas must share responsibility for helping to provide the homes we need’.

Mr Malthouse was housing minister for a year until being replaced in new Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet reshuffle by former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey. She is the ninth housing minister since the Conservatives took power in 2010 and the 18th in 22 years.

Mr Malthouse accepted an invitation from CPRE Devon to attend its housing seminar in Exeter in March this year. He was asked to respond to the findings of an independent report, commissioned by the charity, which concluded that far more new homes were being built and planned for in Devon than are actually needed. CPRE Devon said he had admitted on camera that he had not read the report before addressing delegates and intended to ‘read it on the way home’.

CPRE Devon launched its Postcard from Devon campaign at the end of May, urging people to write directly to the minister outlining their concerns about current government housing policy and its impact on a sustainable future for Devon.

Director of CPRE Devon Penny Mills said: ‘When we came up with the idea of our Postcard from Devon campaign, we ordered 1,000 postcards. They immediately ran out; such was the demand from across Devon and neighbouring counties. We ordered another 1,000 postcards which quickly went too. We are glad that our campaign left Mr Malthouse in no doubt about the strength of feeling about inappropriate and unnecessary housing developments but we are disappointed at his response. His reply fails to acknowledge that Devon is a holiday destination which attracts people because of its natural beauty. They don’t come here to see sprawling housing estates and spend their time stuck in traffic jams.’

Dr Phillip Bratby, from CPRE Devon, said: ‘This campaign has shown that the destruction of Devon’s precious countryside and green spaces is a huge concern to a great many people across the county. Our elected politicians need to start listening to the people they represent, rather than imposing unwanted and inappropriate development, or they risk facing the consequences at the ballot box. Mr Malthouse talks about localism, giving power and say to local people on important decisions, but I don’t for a moment believe he means it. Now he is moving, yet another new person will be grappling with the housing portfolio.’

CPRE Devon intends to invite the new minister, Esther McVey, to Devon to explain to her the ‘truth about the number of new houses that really need to be built in the county’. The charity has recently commissioned a further independent report on housing figures which it looks forward to presenting to the new housing minister.