I attended the meeting of Ryedale District Council’s planning committee on May 12, with a view to gauging councillors’ views on the issues of the Lidl and Morrisons’ planning applications.

My conclusion was that expert planning advisers for the applicants had been able to stitch-up Ryedale District Council in such a way, as Keith Knaggs (Ryedale District Council leader) and Gary Housman (head of planning) put it, that refusal of the applications was not possible.

It was demeaning of councillors to be told by officers that, after they had consulted with experts in retail matters, councillors should not vote against the so-called experts.

All this means that Ryedale District Council has no policies in place to stop well-presented planning applications of any sort being approved.

Can this void be filled quickly please?

North Yorkshire Highways, it seems to me, has applied London congestion planning techniques to Malton and Norton. Therefore they put forward no objections to either application. Figures for additional traffic movements were put forward for each application, but the cumulative effect of both applications was not highlighted.

Councillors did not pick this up. It was as if the two applications related to different towns (which they do, but they are less than half a mile apart). We all know how bad traffic congestion is in Castlegate.

There appears to be no control on retail development in Ryedale. But when the Fitzwilliam Estate put an application forward last year, the RDC planning office, no doubt guided by elected members, put so many obstacles in the way of its proposals that the applicant was forced to withdraw. This did not happen with Lidl and Morrison’s applications.

Can we please have a cohesive plan for the development of the towns of Malton and Norton?

Can the two town councils become involved?

Can the whole community develop a s trategy for the area for the 21st century, including visitor attractions, a transport solution; a retail strategy all to compete with all of the North of England to make this area really attractive to a wide population?

We will all then benefit in the long run.

Denys Townsend, Malton and Norton Business in Action