Are you concerned about the detrimental impact large-scale housing developments could have cross Devon?

Then you can join a rallying call to send a strong message to the Housing and Planning Minister - by posting him a specially-designed postcard.

The Devon branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is urging residents to support the launch of its 'Postcard from Devon' campaign.

CPRE Devon is urging people to mail MP Kit Malthouse greetings from 'glorious' Devon, illustrated by photos of bulldozers digging up precious countryside.

The idea has already received a phenomenal response on social media since being posted on the charity's Facebook page last week.

It comes mere weeks after announcement was made by the Government, revealing it would be investing £750,000 to help pay for the planning of 20,000 new homes, in garden communities, across Exeter, East Devon and Teignbridge.

It also follows Mr Malthouse's recent visit to Exeter, at the invitation of CPRE Devon.

He was asked to attend the charity's housing seminar at Sandy Park in March to respond to an independent report, commissioned by the charity last year.

A charity spokesman said the study presented evidence that the number of new homes being planned for Devon far exceeds the real need.

CPRE Devon's Director Penny Mills said: "Those of us who value Devon's beautiful countryside and green spaces look on in horror at the Government's 'urgent push to build more, better, faster'.

"More houses are needed, but nowhere near as many as the Government claims, and they need to be the right kind of homes at prices local people can afford. Balancing local development and a vibrant economy with a tranquil and beautiful environment is doubly important in a county that's so dependent on income from tourism - precisely why we started our 'Postcard from Devon' campaign."

CPRE Devon's Dr Philip Bratby added: "Following CPRE Devon's Sandy Park housing seminar, Kit Malthouse promised that he would read CPRE Devon's independent report 'Devon Housing Needs Evidence'.

"If he did subsequently read our report, he obviously did not understand it. He is still planning to build 300,000 new homes per year in England by the mid-2020s, although there is no evidence to support this figure.

"Even the Minister himself has described it as a 'mythical' number. Since mythical actually means 'untrue', 'made-up' or 'invented', one has to wonder why the Government is wasting taxpayers' money on planning for the building of huge numbers of houses in Devon, which the evidence shows are not needed."

Visit cpredevon.org.uk for more information.