Tom Shell, of Alvington Terrace, Kingsbridge, writes: Readers may not be aware of the decision taken at the Kingsbridge Town Council meeting on Tuesday, April 14, to support the outline planning application 28/0508/15/O, ­otherwise known as the ­extended K5 site alongside West Alvington Hill. This follows the extraordinary meeting of the planning committee on Tuesday, March 31, which recommended ­support of this application, ­conditional on the Section 106 agreement between the landowner, South Hams Council and Devon County Council to include a commitment to erect a footbridge over West Alvington Hill to provide safe passage for students between Kingsbridge Community College and the college sports pitches. The town council ignored this condition. During the planning committee meeting, the following points were made, which might interest readers: 'Devon Highways had no objections to the proposed access arrangements.' This despite its original objection to the access opposite the entrance to Kingsbridge Community College. 'The view from St Edmunds Church had been partially ruined by the Tesco supermarket and that one of the public seats faced in the opposite direction.' In other words, why not completely ruin it. 'Westville itself is a skyline development within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.' Westville was built around 65 years before the AONB was established. I was present at the town council meeting, when it appeared to me that support for this application was a foregone conclusion, despite West Alvington Parish Council rejecting it unanimously the previous Thursday. Unfortunately, the minutes of the town council meeting are not yet available, but I had the impression that the town council wanted the matter resolved as quickly as possible, before the forthcoming elections. There has been no public meeting to discuss this application, as there was with the ­previous similar application, which is surely important for such a contentious issue. The application now has to go to South Hams Council. The South Hams Council development management committee rejected the previous similar application, despite it being supported by the ­planners, and I just hope that this application will also go to the development management committee, which will take a similar enlightened attitude.