Dear Kirk,

Thank you for the courtesy of asking me.  My views are plain - NA is being made hateful to live in, and a town to avoid as the 'service' town for those that live around.  I drive through at least twice a week to my 28 acres of woods in Combe, but often take the 'clay pits' road to avoid lights at Church Pond and now the flood plain development at Challabrook. 

We moved to Combe-in-Teignhead in 1975 when I was appointed Consultant in Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery at Torbay and at the wonderful Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital. Exeter where I trained for 4 years with a year at the Royal Cornwall.  I took my late predecessors advice, Robin Ling, and chose Home House - a long thatched property in poor repair.  That is to live in the NA/Shaldon/Tq triangle so that if I was called to an emergency in Tq on return home from Exeter 3x per week, I did not have to double back.  In fact - just up the valley of the Dod and over Great Hill. NA then was a Devon town with straight forward DEvon people.  We shopped there most Saturdays.  At least 4 greengrocers in the market, one, Bill Morris, from our parish.  Many trades.

I was on the PC most years and chairman for ?how long.  Because I love my country, its beautiful landscapes due in part to clustering of dwellings (cf with Belgium, Eire now and the Western Way out of the Wen ie  ribbon development.)  I took a close interest in applications.  I noted that TDC and the advice from officers was very often counter to the PC's !

I care about almost everything and in an informed way.  I have written often to the MDA re planning, and there are a few pieces on my very full web site.  One of my surgical masters said 'Chapter and verse David, chapter and verse'! but that is my nature anyway.  Forensic - has to be to make good diagnoses and be the first to write questioning the 'verdict' of Hutton re the unnatural death of Dr David Kelly.  Still, with a small group, working for an inquest he uniquely never had.  Went to the HIgh Court I did to plead for a JR of Grieve who refused to instigate an inquest as OUR LAW required.  Big and immediate public support with £50,000 in three weeks.  Lost.  Justice Roper read a 19 page judgement which must have been dictated and typed
before the 6 hours of the hearing.  Such is our law sometimes.

I have never stopped investigating local ''planning'' applications/decisions, questioning and often writing.  About 10 in the MDA.

A few on my web site  https://dhalpin.infoaction.org.uk/43-articles/planning/194-take-no-account-of-sworn-statements-infer-no-truth-in-them    I recall that some called Nick Davies, the Business Manager, Teflon Davies.  You will see from the latter that I do not give up.  My Lord Pickles lined the pockets of the rural constituents with very harmful PG.

I opposed the Challabrook application of Mr Guy Langworthy, read all the 180 pages of the investigations under Rule 5 which has the developer surveying, 'consulting' etc.  I spoke for the regulatory 5 minutes at the key meeting but felt intimidated by Chairman Dennis (Solitaire) although I am very used to speaking publicly. I could send you my text.  I will select out three letters to the MDA. Anonymous vote (good Adrian Patch is pursuing this).  ?8 for, 6 against.  Those FOR should visit the quagmire and count the stone lorries turning in.  I have emphasised the incestuous processes with Linden for instance giving money to the Tories who then insist on numbers, though without a good survey of jobs or whether the newcomers end up commuting.   

The current and recent development - say the last 10 years, is beyond common sense.  Amenity, ease of movement, joy in living etc have been harmed greatly already by the planning committees.  Wisdom and principle are in short supply but they are voted in.

Same hymn sheet.  NA3 - reject completely.

We drove past Penn's Mount in the rented motor home at 11am.  Now called 'King's Gate' by Linden twinned with Tory.  Why that moniker?  Which King, which Gate?  A roman settlement at the top with an Iron fort I was told by a Kingsteignton 'archeologist' - name on the tip? Controlled opposition. Did not seem too disturbed by this.  Why settle there?  Pure stream from the springs above.  Imagine - water into the carafes for the journeys down the Teign estuary and west to the Dart with salt from 'Coombe Cellars' salt pans, and Salcombe, for the fish.

I wrote to "planning" or possibly the ciphers on the committee about 30 years ago, ?then chairman of Haccombe with Combe PC, but in a personal capacity.  I said that Penn's Mount was a key feature of the Teign estuary landscape, Widgery et al, and that it should be inviolate.  See it now - one of my placards ON THE VERGE - close by a very large board advertising the next acres for the raping.

There are no words.  Philistine is the origin of 'Palestinian' but those noble people knew all about the beauty of their land, and the richness of its soil.  So what should we call the "planners" and those wise aesthetes on the committee?  I will leave that to the readers.  But consider the children, sorry the 'kids', as Dad drives off to Exeter or beyond, and Mum drives off on the 'school run' which adds 46% to the traffic in term time.  And on those brilliant summer evenings - which trees to climb and which streams to fish for the brilliant stickleback.  What name?  An adjective.  Microbial minds.  Oust those who need ousting.

for truth

David Halpin MB BS FRCS

On 10/12/2019 3:27 pm, radical escapes wrote:

Hello David,

Just read your leaflet. More ideas in there than the 3 major parties put together, which is great to see.

Although you mention the compulsory purchase if brownfield sites, there is no mention of planning and house building on greenfield sites.

You may be aware that in Newton Abbot there is strong opposition to  the Local Plan, residents feel the planned housing without equivalent infrastructure will choke (literally) the town. In particular, the controversial NA3 development on Wolborogh Fen is the subject of a Public Enquiry.

Im a member if the pressure group, Newton Says No, who are undecided who to endorse this Thursday.

Could you outline your thoughts on the above, please ?

kind regards

Kirk Field