SIR – The Greenhill campaigners in Micklethwaite richly deserve their moment of triumph as you point out in your editorial (‘Decision a victory for democracy’, Saturday, September 24) and Couns Heseltine and Pennington also deserve praise for their robust and well-aimed objections which they made to the Planning Panel.
But how will democracy fare if David Cameron gets his plans through Parliament for tying the hands of councillors in future planning application procedures?
He will need the full support of the LibDems to achieve this. Is it significant that the single vote in favour of accepting the development in Micklethwaite came from Coun John Cole (Lib Dem, Baildon)?
Furthermore, the T&A have done well to caution the celebrators that this decision may now go to appeal. Anyone who followed the Tesco appeal against the unanimous rejection of their expansion in Ilkley in 2010 will be painfully aware that a single planning inspector decides in these matters and is singularly unimpressed by public opinion and 5,000 petitioners when he overturns the decisions of local planning panels.
Arthur Arnold, Green Party, Beech Street, Bingley
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