Alan Stapleton, of East Portlemouth, writes:

The tone of the questions raised and the disparaging remarks about the South Hams Society and about the possible designation of a South Devon National Park by regular contributor Ian Waterside hardly justify a response but the points he raised in his first letter are important contributions to the debate, so I will offer my comments on them:

1. The area should indeed not be frozen in time

2. We must not allow the tourism industry to spoil the area for locals

3.We certainly do not need more empty second homes.

4. We must certainly encourage the building of suitably priced housing – and jobs – for our younger – and older – people as, for example, that proposed at Churchstow.

John Peters, of the South Hams Society, has explained in detail how National Park designation would bring additional central funding to the area and that effective local representation is entirely possible on a National Park Authority and I hope that Ian will be satisfied with his response.

The second letter from Ian suggests that the South Hams Society's motivation for campaigning for National Park designation is driven by dislike of wind turbines in favour of protecting the view.

Well, if Ian supports appropriately sited renewable energy installations he will find plenty of support within the South Hams Society and I can assure him he is entirely on the wrong track in his assumption.

Yes, the South Hams Society is heavily involved in protecting the area from development but is also concerned about maintaining the area as a living working environment and has no objection to wind turbines that are well sited and genuinely support farming interests.

I certainly do not agree that the society has lost its way. It began by supporting tree planting and planting primroses on natural hedgebanks over 50 years ago and fought planning applications that would have led to the area being greatly affected by caravan sites and many other subsequent adverse developments.

It continues to be alert to new threats from global climate change, new developments that are so often not be in the interests of the genuine local folk Ian thinks he is speaking on behalf of, and, most importantly, to new opportunities such as this one for extension and redesignation of South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a National Park.