Cllr Mitchell also referred to resident’s concerns about derelict land. He asked why it had taken so long to make a decision? He was going for option a which was the original decision. He said a certain area of land had been dedicated for it.
The Chair said it was unique. He referred to the £75,000 spent nearby, which mitigated the problem. He was not sure how valid it was. They had in the past agreed in some cases to make changes that went against the Unitary Development Plan such as a sports facility in an industrial area. He was not going against policy and making a precedent but encouraged members of the Planning Committee to “be their own people”.
Cllr Kenny said he had heard Cllr Mitchell and supported what he was saying. He supported option A which was consistent and argued against antisocial behaviour. He said it was strange that every day society had its troubles, with young people not having enough to do. He didn’t agree that there should not be a play area here and the money should be given back. It couldn’t be used for another one, so what would happen to the land? He said the song “Where Do The Children Play?” was by Cat Stevens. He was going to support recommendation a. They had been told there were twenty six people against, but not told the number of people that would welcome a play area that had previously been agreed by Planning Committee.
