I FIND it bizarre that one judge could find the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate application for judicial review “totally without merit” and the next one decides their application is “arguable”.

However, that is where we are now. I understand the judicial review is to be heard in June, so thankfully a relatively short time before this issue will be settled. Having said that, if things do not go as the Estate wish, they can appeal.

Without doubt I believe that Malton and area needs another supermarket to provide competition and choice for the residents of Ryedale and to stop people having to travel to York and Scarborough.

I believe this because so many people have told me they are tired of queuing to get into the supermarket to find a car park space, tired of paying over the odds for petrol and food items, tired of queuing at tills and tired having limited choice.

We are aware that Fitzwilliam Malton Estate has an exclusivity agreement with Booths and this is welcome although it must be remembered that a Booths will not fulfil all the needs because they are a specialist food retailer which will also be in direct competition with the many wonderful food retailers in Malton. A Booths will not be competition for Morrisons, nor will they sell petrol.

However neither development needs to be exclusive and there is capacity for both as they address such different markets.

Fitzwilliam Malton Estate own some 40 per cent of the town and therefore has a financial interest in their development on the old livestock market site.

They are seeking to control development in Malton at any cost and with what seems like no regard for the needs of the many rather than the few.

This whole saga has turned into a virtual class war. Ryedale District Council has to make decisions in the best interests of the town and the residents and businesses of Ryedale.

We have a duty to get the best from our assets and using the car park as a town centre car park in a different way to create more car parking spaces and three hours free for all in my view encourages linked trips to Malton town centre and generates a capital receipt which the council will use to further vital projects in Ryedale.

Given the level of development planned for the future in the town of Malton, a new supermarket is going to be needed.

The question I would like answered is, if the Fitzwilliam Malton Estate succeed in stopping a supermarket being built on Wentworth Street car park – where will it go? On an out-of-town site that will detract from the town centre?

Councillor Linda Cowling, leader of Ryedale District Council