MARTIN RANWELL, of Tuckers Brook, Modbury, writes:

The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Area of Great Landscape Value designations were put in place for good reasons – because they are exceptional areas of great beauty and amenity value, and their essential character needs to be protected for this and future generations.

Why then are planners in the south west in general, and my area of south Devon in particular, ignoring these sensible restrictions and imposing numerous new housing ­developments upon us?

These developments are nothing to do with local needs and rarely provide truly affordable housing for young people.

This very large number of additional housing units are being ‘allocated’ to our region for two reasons only – because the Government demands it and because the local authority gets the very lucrative new homes bonus for every new unit that it allows to be built. Put simply, it is a bribe from the Government.

The time has come for all those who care about what is happening to our green and pleasant land to lobby their local councillors and MPs, and to tell them that “enough is enough”.

If the current policy is not changed, the south west ­peninsula will be spoilt for ever, sacrificed on the altar of housing targets.