SIR – The grant of planning permission for the first stage of the Minehead to Blue Anchor cycle path by West Somerset councillors on June 28 (Free Press July 6) was a waste of time.

It is a condition of the permission granted that the path be constructed on the route set out on the lodged plans.

As we told the proposers, the West Beech chalet owners will never agree to the planned route which rides roughshod through the middle of the chalet park, and so, if progress is to be made, there will have to be a change to something like the route suggested by the chalet owners.

This will require considerable further work to re-plan this section of the route, and a new planning application.

It is all too easy to mark a red line on a plan and make an application. It takes real effort to engage with the existing users of land and find viable solutions to shared land use.

The chalet owners are deeply unimpressed with the lack of proper consultation by Sustrans, and especially by Forum 21, who trumpet about the cycle path in their literature but have not made the effort to engage with us that would be expected from a local group.

Despite how bruised we feel about the way we have been treated, we remain willing to discuss alternatives.

We understand the support for the cycle route (although we wonder if the supporters would be as willing to have a cycle route across their front or back gardens). Supporters need to campaign for Sustrans and Forum 21 to engage properly with the landowners if progress is to be made.

Robin and Moira White,

Blue Anchor Chalet Owners Association.