Fears for local democracy as supermarket debate is halted

Blueprints to build a new superstore on the Wentworth Street car park site in Malton have provoked widespread opposition amid concerns over the impact the multi-million pound scheme will have on the town’s independent traders.

Broadcaster Selina Scott, who lives nearby, has led a high-profile campaign to prevent the development becoming a reality.

A motion had been due to be discussed at a full council meeting of Ryedale District Council, but the debate was not allowed to proceed after senior councillors sought independent legal advice.

The motion was put forward by Coun Edward Legard, the vice-chairman of the policy committee, who claimed a Government-approved public inquiry is needed to prevent the council being accused of any bias while deciding if the supermarket plans submitted by Leeds-based GMI Holbeck should be given the go-ahead.

Ryedale District Council will receive £5m for the sale of the car park, but its planning committee will decide if the supermarket development earmarked for the Wentworth Street site should be approved.

Coun Lindsay Burr, who sits on the council’s planning committee and represents Malton, seconded the motion and claimed she was “appalled and amazed” it had been blocked after being ruled out of order on Thursday evening last week.

She added: “We wanted to debate the proposals for the Wentworth Street car park in an open and transparent manner, but this was not allowed to happen.

“This is one of the biggest decisions that the council will have to take – certainly the biggest decision I have dealt with since I was voted on to the council 16 years ago.

“I do feel that local democracy is being undermined, and there are very real concerns among members of the public over the way that this is being handled. The electorate needs to know that the council is going about this in the correct manner, and I do not believe this is the case at the moment.”

But the council’s leader Keith Knaggs was adamant the necessary measures are already in place to ensure the planning application, which was submitted last September, will be called in by the Government for a public inquiry if it is deemed necessary.

Coun Knaggs maintained local authorities have a legal duty to consider planning applications and could not ask the Government to call in a scheme for a public inquiry until an actual decision has been made by councillors.

The decision to prevent the motion being debated was taken by the district council’s chairman, Coun Steve Arnold, who confirmed legal advice had been sought from both independent experts and the authority’s senior officers.

Coun Knaggs said: “The chairman received professional advice backed by a QC’s opinion that the action proposed by the motion was potentially unlawful and could expose the Ryedale taxpayer to substantial financial claims by those aggrieved by the failure to follow proper planning procedure. In my view he had no choice but to do what he did.

“Quite how having something of major local importance decided by civil servants and ministers in London rather than by the local district council is a win for local democracy is not quite clear.”

Coun Edward Legard had also called on the Secretary of State for Local Government, Eric Pickles, to put plans to re-develop the town’s livestock market before the public inquiry. A smaller food store could be created on the site of the livestock market in a rival scheme put forward by the Fitzwilliam Estate, which has owned much of Malton town centre for the past 300 years.