The Council decided to undertake a public consultation exercise on all parcels of land where representations have objected to potential development sites being omitted from the Plan. This provided an opportunity for public views to be expressed to the Council.

The council's web site said, "Since this is a non-statutory consultation exercise, respondents will not automatically have the right to appear at the Local Plan Inquiry. However, the Council will consider all comments received within the consultation period. Additionally, all comments will be made available for public inspection by the Inspector at the Local Plan Inquiry."

Comments in respect of the Omission sites had to be sent in writing to the Head of Planning Services, Teignbridge District Council, Forde House, Brunel Road, Newton Abbot, Devon TQ12 4XX by no later than Friday 10th January 2003.

Update 7/1/03: Teignbridge Council have received numerous objections from local residents and to meet local concerns, have extended the time limit on registering your comments to the 24th January 2003.

This appears to be pre-empting next year's enquiry into the Devon Plan to 2016. Part of that plan entails finding space for 3100 dwellings and 25 hectares for industrial development in 'an area of economic activity' which forms a corridor linking Teignbridge and Torbay. The Government lays down guidelines that there should be 30 to 50 homes built per hectare, so the applications listed at OS-H20 & OS-H24 above, could equate to 115 & 410 homes respectively. That's the potential for over 500 new homes for Kingskerswell.

The direct impact of that could mean about 600 to 800 extra children needing school places. Yet in another document listed on TDC's website, entitled Community Facilities - there are no plans for any additional schools in either Newton Abbot or Kingskerswell!

Another consideration is that there would be approximately 750 additional cars wanting to use the local roads. Yet motorists already suffer daily frustration when travelling to and from Decoy/Newton Abbot, due to the recent increase in industrial traffic. The CLS site was allowed to be built without any improvements being made to the relevant access road.

Comment Paul Bright (Vice Chairman) of the Kingskerswell Alliance said, "Whilst any public consultation is a positive process, some might see it as unfortunate that the council chose to coincide this six week process with the busy Christmas period". "