ONCE again I read of yet another housing development that has been passed after going through the processes of appeal after appeal, is there nothing we can do against these rich development companies, such as Barrett?

Our small villages are being developed so quickly that before long they will merge into the larger ones and in turn become part of our towns, so what can be done to stop them?

It would appear very little – our councils are either staffed by incompetent people or they are hamstrung by the Conservative government who relaxed the planning laws to such an extent that emphasis is with a developer and not with the council and local taxpayer and they wonder why UKIP is gaining ground so fast?

The Barrett development, which I believe has been passed on yet another appeal, alongside Wyedean School in Sedbury for 110 houses could be stopped if I understood what had been discussed at the Forest of Dean Council offices during one of the planning applications being reviewed.

And that was that two of the owners of that development site are the Forest of Dean Council and Gloucestershire Highways.

If that's true then surely it follows that the land is apparently owned by us, the taxpayer?

Then surely the councillors who are elected by the electorate of the Forest of Dean should listen to the wishes of those people and vote against selling the land for development or, as I suspect, that is something they cannot or will not undertake.

I look forward to a response from the council.

– Mr SJS, Tutshill.