HUNDREDS of East Devon residents staged a protest against the Government's controversial plans to relax planning laws.
More than 250 people gathered at the demonstration which was organised by the East Devon Alliance campaign group, in opposition to the Government's National Planning Policy Framework.
Critics of the document are concerned about the impact of the policy on rural areas.
Dressed in black and carrying banners, people of all ages came from across the district to "mourn the loss of the countryside".
The protest was staged in the village of Feniton, which could see its population surge by 40 per cent if plans submitted for over 300 new homes get the go-ahead.
The Government's policy has a presumption in favour of sustainable development.
Campaigners are concerned about the impact of the legislation given that the council has not yet formulated its Local Plan.
Ian McKintosh, chair of the Alliance, said: "We are concerned not with preservation, but conservation.
"People have forgotten that democracy, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, is government of the people, by the people, for the people.
"The Alliance is not a Nimby organisation, nor "anti-everything".
"We believe any development should be of a suitable scale and sensitive to its environmental impact.
"It should take account of existing infrastructure, such as schools and medical facilities.
"The type of homes and employment on proposed development sites should be matched to local need and skills."
