David Southwick, of Kingswear, writes:

Mr Stevens' recent letter contains a number of factual inaccuracies which I thought it might be helpful to clarify for those who live in Kingswear.

This is so that local residents can start making up their own mind about the correctness of the parish council's attempt to register my beach as a village green and whether it is right that they should be asked to contribute to the huge costs of a speculative public enquiry to achieve this. (I understand that the council's total bill could be as much as £75,000 at the end of the day).

Firstly, I have received no 'alternative offer', as Mr Stevens states, from the parish council as to the terms upon which it suggests I should reopen my beach when my building works are complete.

The parish council did suggest that I should voluntarily give up ownership of my beach and register it myself as a village green, but I assumed, perhaps wrongly, this was not a serious proposal.

It took no account that the council will have been advised by its solicitors that an area of foreshore which is inundated by tide twice a day does not fall within the definition of 'land' for the Commons Act and so cannot be registered as a village green.

The council has consistently failed to explain to the residents of Kingswear that there is a very high risk that its application to register the beach as a village green will fail on this ground alone.

In addition, the law does not allow the council to apply to have a beach registered that has been shut for more than five years. I shut my beach thirteen years ago when my lengthy building works necessitated doing so on grounds of health and safety.

Why did Mr Stevens not disclose to the local residents these two important legal matters, of which he is already aware, in his letter?

His letter is very one-sided and seems to stem from the very personal stance he has taken against me.

Neither has he revealed that he has personally funded, together with two former parish councillors, the last part of the very large legal bill that the council has already run up. Why is he not declaring the personal interest he has in this matter when asking the public to give generously again to a fighting fund?

Please would he therefore publish the offer he says the council has made to me so we can all see if this is a genuine attempt to avoid an expensive public enquiry?

I should also mention that South Hams has placed no restriction on my removal of stored rock and rubble on Lighthouse Beach.

Indeed, I have been required to give my undertaking to the National River Authority/ Dart Harbour and Navigation Authority to reinstate the beach to the level it was prior to the commencement of the building works when such works have been finally completed.

I understand from a number of parish councillors that Mr Stevens feels so strongly about depriving me and my family of the right of ownership of Lighthouse Beach that he has offered to represent the council himself at the pre-inquiry hearing in July and at the four-day public enquiry in November.

I think that is a decent and generous offer on his part and one which the people of Kingswear should be aware of.

There would then be no need for the locals to be involved financially in this very risky application which has clearly become very personal to him. He would then be free to argue whatever legal points he wanted to make but which are clearly not in accordance with the law as it currently stands.

I reiterate my offer to negotiate with the elected members of the parish council as to the terms upon which I am prepared to reopen Lighthouse Beach.