One thing that clearly hasn't improved with the change of government is the speed with which major planning decisions are taken in Whitehall. The original application by Prince's Soft Drinks to build a new depot at Cross Lane, off the Drighlington by-pass - which it is claimed will create around 1,000 jobs - has been with the Council since February.

However, because of the strength of local opinion against the development and the fact that some of the site is on green-belt land, the Council had to submit the application to the Department of Transport and Environment. That was in July. We are now only days away from December and still no decision has been announced.

This long delay is rightly described as absurd and appalling by Bradford Chamber of Commerce in its representations to the Government. It is deeply damaging for the company involved which, like any business, needs to process its decisions quickly. This is not an economic climate in which to be forced to mark time. The long delay in finding out whether or not it can go ahead with its proposals is stopping it from making progress.

Worse than that, though, is the lengthy period of unnecessary anxiety for the many local residents who are against the plan (600 of them wrote letters of objection). They have had to face an unacceptably long period of uncertainty because of the department's heel-dragging.

A decision now would mean an unpleasant Christmas present for one of the sides involved, but that is surely better than having the doubts drag on into the New Year.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.