As expected Mactaggart and Mickel, the Glasgow carpetbaggers, are back with yet another round of so-called consultation on their idea to add at least 10 per cent to the population of Devizes by building an estate of at least 350 houses on the Coate Bridge site.

The joke is in the use of “consultation” to describe this latest PR exercise which is designed to tick the legislative box of the same name. Real consultation involves listening to what people say.

A large sample of those attending the previous ‘consultation’ in November 2011 participated in an online exit poll. Ninety-one per cent of respondents agreed that the public consultations were inadequate both in terms of publicity and substance and 96 per cent agreed that the proposals put forward were unacceptable in that they constituted an unnecessary and final loss of more greenfield sites.

Individual reports from the sessions showed that despite some heated debates, local residents did not get any satisfactory answers to their concerns. Questions about the resulting increase in traffic congestion and air pollution along London Road were dismissed as not being their concern.

I hope that the exhibition of their latest plans at the library will encourage everyone to have their say.

We don’t need this huge estate imposed on the green fringe of Devizes. It will result in more traffic misery both on Windsor Drive, through Coate and particularly on the London Road. Air pollution from traffic is already at illegal levels at many points in town. And we don’t have the medical and educational services to cope with this increase in population. A new village hall is a pathetic gesture.

We won’t convince Mac and Mic of our case. They don’t care as they’ll be selling off the land for a vast profit as soon as it has planning consent. Take no notice of their blandishments about the prizes they’ve won for building quality houses – they won’t be building them! The houses will be built by the housebuilders who pay Mac and Mic the most for the land.

We have to convince our elected representatives that this time no means no. At least now our councillors are permitted to speak their minds rather than be fettered as previously. Let’s call them to account along with our MP.

Jerry Pilgrim, Kingsmanor Wharf, Devizes.