Dear Editor,

I was chairman of planning for Oakley Parish Council but had to resign realising planning is simply a nightmare. I attended borough planning meetings at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and began to realise that planning decisions are in the hands of councillors who are right out of touch.

On an application that I had to present to the council, one of the borough planning committee stated: "I am no expert at anything." I wondered: "What the **** are you doing on a committee who has a decision in your hands that can affect the lives of local people?"

I was dealing with another issue in the village that was out of the ordinary and bumped in to Cllr Paul Miller, chairman of the borough's planning committee, and asked him what action I could take. He told me to take it up with 'enforcement'.

I called them the following morning explaining who I was and the position I held on the parish council and was told: "It is none of your business."

The decision on the Camrose, in my opinion, is all about making huge sums of money and I can guarantee the results of the vote.

We have a situation here in Oakley where an application for a further 112 homes in Station Road are on the cards, with over 300 people against this development. We need small residences for couples in large houses already in the village who have brought up a family and now would like to down size but stay amongst their friends. In a recent application that got approval which included small properties all the small dwellings were replaced with 4/5 bedroom homes as they make more money.

I felt I could no longer remain involved in Oakley Parish Council. Camrose, Oakley, they have no hope. I'm 81 and sad to say I can no longer worry about the future.

Graeme Hewitt, Oakley