IT was encouraging to see so many people at the exhibition in the council offices at Crediton as part of the consultation on the options presented in the Local Plan.

It was "unfortunate" that MDDC implied, on one of the posters, that the relief road would reduce air pollution in the centre of Crediton.

Devon County Council have admitted on several occasions that the relief road may reduce the flow of traffic through Exeter Road but have no effect on traffic flow along the High Street, which most Kirtonians would consider the centre of Crediton.

Somehow this message has not reached Tiverton planners.

The booklet Options summary includes maps of Tiverton, Cullompton and the Willand area, but not for Crediton.

It is clear, from the booklet, that housing and retail development in Crediton would be affected by decisions elsewhere but without indicating clearly the implications of these consequences. So what can we do?

We may understand the way in which the MDDC planning department operates by looking on the web for the detail.

Under the appropriate section there is a pointer to "the Masterplan".

This refers to a map of Tiverton alone. Elsewhere there is a pointer to Cullompton and a map of Cullompton but nothing for Crediton.

I can think of few more effective ways of antagonising Kirtonians, than to describe plans for Tiverton as the Masterplan.

Failure to acknowledge that the local plan will do nothing to improve the air quality in the High Street might be a good second.

Both MDDC and DCC have brushed aside opinions from Crediton in the past and on the issue of the Local Plan, it does seem that consultation with the people of Crediton will be completely irrelevant.

John Boyle

Wescott

Fordton

Crediton