SIR - One day a planner had a ‘road to Damascus’ experience and, in his wisdom, thought how wonderful to move the council offices and replace it with a mono housing estate.

The shame is that planners appear to relish destroying the environment of others, probably, at the same time, never themselves living in the affected area.

Why would anybody in their right mind wish to destroy our exclusive concert venue and venues for local state occasions? Why destroy our summer park-and-ride car parks?

Why destroy the unique natural arena used by the Folk Festival over so many decades and, hopefully, to be used again?

Worst of all, why even consider attacking the unique parkland with its historic trees? You cannot just shut a park down and find a replacement arboretum.

And what about the badgers? On the everlasting argument of badgers versus cattle, the badgers win. Will badgers versus the planners, unusually, lose out?

A decision on the council’s mooted move might be six months away, but at what stage will the residents of Sidmouth be properly consulted? Will this be a Cameron-type consultation where the decision has already been made in advance, learning only how it will be implemented?

So much for local democracy. Come on, residents, we must fight this proposed destruction of the Knowle together.

Peter Atkinson

Knowle House, Knowle Drive, Sidmouth