Conflict of interest for Council

The planning officer has recommended the approval Sainsbury’s planning application. There is no denying the fact that there is an important conflict of interest for the Council.  The Council therefore needs not only to ensure that the reasons for its decision are open, honest and transparent, but also, like Caesar’s wife, it needs to demonstrate beyond any shadow of a doubt that this is the case.  There must be no suspicion that any decision is primarily financially driven.

In a number of important respects this application goes against the Council’s own planning guidelines.  Why do we have these guidelines, if they are to be ignored?

If the Council’s own policies are to be cast aside, we need to have the full reasons and justification for this exposed to public gaze. The Council’s Principal Design Officer also states that he is unable to support the Application.

Finally, there is a considerable level of dispute between the figures that the Applicant has put forward and the figures of some objectors.  These need to be examined robustly and their accuracy fully tested.  Both sides cannot be right.  We need to see hard evidence as to whose figures are correct.  After all, these figures are being used by the Applicant to justify their case.  We should not proceed without ensuring all information is accurate.  I do not believe this is currently the case (John Fairbanks).