As an outsider, but a frequent visitor to this part of the South Hams, I read with interest the article Boundary wrangle puts tenant in limbo, June 29, about the boundary dispute affecting Creek Close, Frogmore.

Well done for exposing this particular case, which thankfully isn’t a common occurrence, but it is symptomatic of how some landowners and developers seem to attempt to abuse the system.

Creek Close, Frogmore, was an admirable initiative by the parish council, widely supported by the local community, where a demonstrable need for affordable housing existed and where it was both fair and reasonable to utilise a modest location within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

It was never intended to be the first phase of a very much bigger scheme to provide a large number of market-value homes, adjacent to Creeks Close, that would be grossly inappropriate for this location and which would provide irrevocable harm to a natural asset.

Yes, we do need more social housing – provided it is in the right location with the jobs and infrastructure to support the development.

What we don’t need are landowners and developers, who purport to be altruistic, but who actually exploit the situation by making speculative, extravagant and insensitive applications to line their own pockets.

It really doesn’t matter who was responsible for the ‘accidental over-build’ at Creek Close because the solution is patently obvious.

The palpable intransigence of the landowners to resolve the issue speaks volumes about them.

South Hams District Council, please stand firm and don’t be held to ransom.

John Jervis

Shorton Valley Road

Paignton