I FIND Howard Keal’s enthusiasm for a free car park hypocritical. I remember some years ago how he opposed efforts to get car park fees reduced in Wentworth Street car park. Indeed, my recollection is that he was in favour of introducing parking fees in St Nicholas Street car park.

The reason Wentworth Street car park is not used as a long-stay car park is because the fees are extortionate. Malton needs a long-stay, reasonably-priced or free car park.

We don’t need a superstore to achieve this – all we need is a decision of our democratically-elected council which owns it. In any case, what is proposed is not truly long-stay – parking will be free for three hours only.

As regards democracy, the decision to grant planning permission for a new superstore on Wentworth Street car park two years ago was made mainly by councillors who did not represent Malton or Norton. When the matter comes to committee next time, only one out of 10 committee members will come from Malton and Norton. You can call this fair and democratic if you like. I don’t.

Opponents of the car park are not a small minority. The car park was an election issue in 2011, and the Malton and Norton councillors who did vote for the sale of the car park were not re-elected.

Malton and Norton town councils are opposed to a superstore on Wentworth Street car park.

There was a petition against the sale of the car park signed by more than 2,000 people, and both Malton and Norton town councils consulted the residents of both towns and the surrounding area on a neighbourhood plan. Respondents were asked which sites they would like to see a new supermarket on and four out of five were in favour of the cattle market site and against the car park being used.

No one is trying to reduce choice. Booths will not cause prices to rise, but it will balance the existing food offer by providing something at the high-end, which does not exist at the moment. This will bring more trade into Malton and increase prosperity and employment.

Malton and Norton is a small country market town community with a population of about 13,000 people. We have a Morrisons superstore, an ASDA, a small Sainsbury’s, a Lidl, a Costcutter and a Herons which is due to expand. We don’t need another superstore.

The superstore issue was thoroughly debated before an impartial, independent, government inspector in September 2012, when it was common ground with the council that there was only room for one more food store in the district – not just in Malton and Norton – and the council had to agree that the most appropriate site (“the most sequentially preferable” site) was the cattle market area.

Even the council’s own consultants recognise that the car park is not a good site. In a report in February this year, the consultants say it “lacks prominence, has poor access and is dislocated from the existing retail area in the town centre”.

The requirements of the number of projected new houses prescribed in the new local plan was taken into account at the 2012 inquiry.

In order to establish the case, the council produced evidence which the inspector said was “inexcusable”. He ordered the council to pay costs, which were assessed at £148,000.

It now looks as though Ryedale, with the encouragement, are going to repeat their mistake. The estate says that if it does, the matter will end up in court. It is a great pity that the councillors making the decision cannot be surcharged and ordered to pay the costs out of their own money.

Councillor Paul Andrew, Malton Ward