Clarification as to my objection

I have returned from a lengthy holiday and, while catching up with back numbers of the Journal, note that I am directly quoted in relation to an article concerning a planning application for 51A Salterton Road, printed on February 19, 2009. The words attributed to me are accurate, but did not form part of an interview, but were extracted from my objection to East Devon District Council planners to the vehicle access, the subject of the article. What the selective extract does not state was that my objection, as with almost all the others including the town council and Cllr Williamson, was based on the fact that removal of part of the Victorian wall was quite unnecessary as the applicant already has a vehicle access, parking and a garage. The article states the applicant is alone in not having an entrance - quite untrue, 51A has access to Claremont Lane at the rear, along with several other properties. Possibly, at the time these properties were divided, the highways authority considered it dangerous to have too many vehicles accessing the Salterton Road.Furthermore, the apparently poor condition of the wall was not part of the applicant's reason for its removal. Additionally, and very sadly, the plans involve cutting down a mature copper beech tree, another apparently sacrosanct feature of the Avenues' Design Statement that the planners appear to ignore. I do not think EDDC is serious about quality design and development, at least not in Exmouth, and SAD, the supposed guardians of The Avenues, did not support the objection even though it drove a coach and horses through their Design Statement. However, as the article makes clear, the highways authority cannot recognise a busy road when they see one, and so the application was approved. At least we now know who makes the planning decisions around here. Pamela Simpson, 51B Salterton Road, Exmouth.