SIR – Just what is the point and purpose of Bradford Council’s planning department? Why do they appear to continually disregard local opinion and carry on with their seeming “we know best” attitude? Indeed, are they actually serving us well at all?

I ask this after yet another contentious decision, this time to do with a supermarket development in Shipley (T&A, December 13).

It seems obvious from letters, web posts and such like, that most people consider that a supermarket at the Crossley Evans recycling site would be by far the worst of the three options for Shipley. That it would also displace a long-established and successful business (and their employees), which benefits from an environmentally-friendly rail connection, simply beggars belief.

The planners appear to give far more weight to their view that the Crossleys development may create a few more jobs than the others, and therefore disregard the harmful effect on Shipley town centre, and especially on the already heavily-congested Otley Road area.

We can only hope that the Council’s Planning Committee consider all these matters in a much fairer way than the planning officers seem to have done.

Yet again, we deserve so much better.

Bob Watson, Springfield Road, Baildon