PEOPLE in Mid Devon think the district council should do all it can to boost the local economy and encourage residents to spend their money in the area, according to a poll.

Westwood, the developer behind plans for a 90-hectare leisure and tourism destination at junction 27, carried out the survey.

It found that 82% of the 500 people asked would support any effort by Mid Devon District Council to encourage people to spend more of their money on leisure and shopping in the district rather than travelling elsewhere.

The poll also found two-thirds of the Mid Devon residents asked believed that young people do not have enough leisure or shopping opportunities in the district.

And 88% of 18-24 year-olds said they believed not enough exciting leisure and shopping opportunities existed for young people in Mid Devon.

The ambitious junction 27 proposals include a surf park, sports village, concert hall, designer outlet village and West Country Visitor Centre which could create up to 3,500 jobs.

Bob De Barr, of Westwood, said: “Mid Devon is a fantastic place to live and work and this poll shows that people rightly have a lot of pride in the area.

“I’m delighted that there is such strong support for anything the council can do to encourage local people to stay in the district for their leisure and retail requirements rather than travelling elsewhere.

“Westwood has tremendous potential to become a focal point for Mid Devon, creating jobs and opportunities for local people while putting the area on the map as a destination for tourists.”

Martin Boon, director at ICM, which carried out the poll, said of the results: “These results indicate that people have both a pride in the Mid Devon area coupled with recognition of the need for exciting and new leisure and shopping opportunities.”

The poll found that 62% of people were aware of the Westwood proposal and that, of the 38% who were unaware, more than 70% became supportive once the location and details of the development were explained.

The plans have attracted plenty of opposition, with fears that the development could be detrimental to local business, the environment and traffic in the region.