Cllr Mike Trevorrow, of Kingswear, writes:

This is in response to David Southwick's recent letter concerning Lighthouse beach in Kingswear. He warns residents that they could face legal bills of £75,000 if they fight the closure of the beach.

This is absolute nonsense, since even the legal people themselves have given estimates of £10,000 to £20,000.

The parish council in Kingswear, on which I am a councillor, is well aware that it can only spend on legal matters as much as it receives in donations from the people of Kingswear, so Mr Southwick's warnings of running-up huge bills are unnecessary. The council has contingency plans to cut its legal coat according to the cloth it can afford.

Perhaps it is appropriate to remind readers that the reason the people of Kingswear are opposing the beach closure is because they, very reasonably, disagree with one man, who has inherited the beach, preventing the people of the village from accessing it.

This is a beach which has been open to them since as long ago as anyone can remember and which was traditionally the place where children learned to swim.

Mr Southwick refers to the terms on which he would be willing to negotiate the reopening of the beach.

In brief these are so restrictive that they would give him the power to reclose the beach on almost any pretext whatsoever, making its reopening a mere token to Kingswear residents, and not a right as it had always been.

This is not acceptable to most of the parish council.

The point Mr Southwick makes about the tide covering the beach at high tide is a contentious issue.

Some Kingswear residents say the beach is never so covered, while others maintain it is only very rarely covered, and then only during the highest tides for a very brief time.

This would seem to make the village green claims totally reasonable and this is understood by the district council also and which agrees to move to the public inquiry.