I HAVE read with interest the articles and letters concerning the West Devon core strategy. I have not commented on the issue of substitutions at the future planning and housing meeting of April 19 because they were carried out by me entirely in good faith, following the council's lawful constitution.

As has already been said, all councillors can attend any council committee and speak if they wish, and many did on April 19.

However, what hasn't been reported is that the main debate was on December 15, 2009, when all councillors attended. The vote from that meeting was 17 to 12 and two abstentions to continue the core strategy and delegate to a future meeting of the future planning and housing to agree the final detail. The December meeting debate was a long and detailed one and many members of the public attended.

On the wider issue of the core strategy, the council has a duty to produce a development plan for the future. I have no great love of the core strategy process designed by the last government and I welcome the new government's axing of regional housing targets and decision to base housing numbers on local need instead.

However, it should be remembered that the core strategy is about a lot more than the number of houses. It's about infrastructure! It's the first time a Local Plan takes into account the need for roads, rail, health provision, etc, as a consequence of further development. We must not lose sight of this.

Councillors might make themselves popular for five minutes if we stopped the core strategy. But in a year or two when large planning applications come in with evidence of need, and we have not got a core strategy for West Devon to control development, residents will start asking why the borough council allowed this to happen. This is not an easy issue for anyone.

Cllr James McInnes

Leader of the Conservative Group

West Devon Borough Council