Stoke Fleming has now completed its neighbourhood plan, the purpose of which is to inform and guide developments in the village for the next 16 years – at the end of which period, one supposes that quite a lot of those whose views it distills, will no longer be with us or, at least, will no longer play a part in the life of the village.

The plan can be read on the stokefleming.org website.

A six-week period will shortly be provided by South Hams District Council for “consultation”. I don’t suppose there will be many with the time or inclination to read the entire 56 pages, and, if you are one of those, I would direct you to pages 18-30, which list specific policies.

If you wish very little of significance to change other than Stoke Fleming becoming even more a retirement community than it is now, you will like what you read.

However, if, as I do, you believe that, to have a vibrant future, the village needs to modernise, become larger and attract young families that can afford to live here and and work nearby, you will be disappointed.

The section on housing is mainly about preventing any being built – a total of 10 over the next five years is envisaged.

The section on the environment is heavily focused on ensuring that the pleasant views enjoyed by those lucky enough to live in Stoke Fleming are not obscured in any way.

On business and employment, there is a single, extremely general and vague policy occupying less than half a page.

This document is a good demonstration of why the under 40s in Britain are so fed up with the baby boomers.

Tim Hailstone

Venn Lane, Stoke Fleming