SIR – Your editorial, ‘Planning process has to be fair’ (T&A, October 22) was well-argued. The application to build some 450 houses on the Sty Lane site at Micklethwaite has been opposed by substantial numbers of local residents and rejected by the Shipley Planning Panel.

These are the very people who understand access problems here. Access is always tricky and is dangerous in wintry conditions. Further, the scale of this proposal for a green field area of recreational amenity for local people and for visitors to Bradford MDC, is utterly unreasonable. The unfairness, as your editorial points out, comes from the need for local people to put up their own funds in order to challenge Bradford Council’s inclusion of this site as suitable for housing in the first place, and now to oppose the appeal against councillors’ rejection of the proposal by well-financed housing developers.

This David-and-Goliath situation is not democracy.

It is to be hoped the Government examines its stated commitment to taking more heed of local people’s views in planning matters. Though, thinking of pre-election assurances about the NHS and what is happening now, I am not optimistic.

Mrs Chris McGoldrick, Bailey Hills Road, Bingley