You were good enough to ­publish my open letter to Cllr John Tucker, leader of South Hams District Council, on March 31, in which I requested he make a public statement supporting unreservedly and wholeheartedly the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, its partnership committee and its staff unit. I also suggested five action points whereby he could easily demonstrate this support.

I believe it is in the public ­interest for readers to see the res­ponse I have received:

“Dear Mr Osborn,

Thank you for your email, I have a few comments to make, as follows:

1. Councillors are chosen for their knowledge of the AONB, the council will appoint an elected member to the AONB committee at the next council meeting on May 11, 2017.

2. SHDC is the local planning authority. Councillors who are elected to SHDC are the only acceptable members of the development management committee. Perhaps you may wish to stand for election in 2019.

3. I have always supported the AONB, especially the staff.

4. Councillors must consider material planning considerations (as detailed by government)

and will always consider the ­evidence put before them, whether it’s planning polices or AONB polices.

5. The inspector will decide what guidance is incorporated into the local plan.”

Do judge for yourselves, but in my view this is an uninspiring response without a single new action on Cllr Tucker’s part in response to my request.

So, Cllr Tucker, please:

1. Can you confirm that you will put forward for election on May 11 two elected SHDC ­members to sit on the AONB committee. May I also suggest that you remind them of their attributes and duties as set out in the AONB constitution, which you may not have read recently. It is clear to many of us in the amenity societies that the current representatives appear to fall short of these requirements.

2. I am fully aware of the point you make at 2. However, my request is that it is within your power to arrange that the two SHDC members who you will elect to the AONB committee should also sit on your council’s development management committee, where they will be able to act as vociferous advocates of the AONB, which you claim to support.

3. Can you not show more publicly and more enthusiastically your support for the AONB. Actions 1. and 2. would be a good start. And a public statement endorsing the AONB planning guidance document would not go amiss. You do not say, why can’t you help the AONB staff unit launch their new document?. Be a bit more positive please.

4. Yes, but councillors do not always give sufficient weight to the AONB designation, which is equivalent in the Govern-ment’s planning policies to national park status.

5. Yes, but again you could at least have made reference to the AONB’s planning guidance in the joint local plan to show your council’s willingness to see it incorporated.

All of these actions are within your powers and will cost

you nothing. If your ­further response is no more positive and enthusiastic than the first, then the conclusion that I draw is that you and your fellow councillors are disregarding the widely held views of local communities within the AONB that they need more protection from inappropriate development.

Geoffrey Osborn

member of the

South Hams Society

Blackawton