IT now appears that the Tesco planning application for Little Lever is to be placed before Bolton Council’s planning committee on April 26.

Given that the new traffic proposals — reported in The Bolton News—were only revealed on February 29 and there is still no sign of an assessment describing the obvious impact this development will have on existing village businesses, this might seem a little premature.

Tesco is holding a drop-in meeting on April 23 as part of its consultation with the public, particularly in relation to their traffic proposals. Fine — they are entitled to hold as many consultations as they wish.

However, it seems that a Bolton Council highways officer will be attending alongside them at what is obviously a public relations exercise.

This, to me, is highly inappropriate. It is no business of a council officer to seemingly appear to be supporting such a contentious issue in a public forum.

Advice and assistance by officers to facilitate the smooth operation of the planning system is one thing — this is beyond the pale.

The public meeting agreed to by the ward councillors was and is expected to be a meeting between councillors and the public with officers present to advise the councillors. This “drop-in” in no way satisfies that expectation.

Bolton Council must realise that the presence of a council officer at this Tesco-organised event — and certain other agreements reached with officers—may lay them open to accusations of bias and thus challenges to any subsequent decision.

The planning system must not only be fair, it must be seen to be fair.

Paul Richardson Ripon Close Little Lever