Selby Council spends £500k fighting brewer over horse plans

9:21am Thursday 26th June 2008

GRANTING planning permission to an equestrian centre has cost Selby District Council around £500,000 of tax-payers' money.

The planning committee granted planning permission for Hazlewood Equestrian Centre, near Tadcaster, in 2000. Samuel Smith's Brewery has taken the decision to the High Court and won with costs being awarded against the council.

But after each High Court decision the council has looked again at the application and granted it again. Samuel Smith's has then challenged it and won.

As reported in The Press the last judgement against the council came at the end of May. In a report to members of the policy and resources committee Selby Council's chief executive, Martin Connor, has said fighting objections against planning permission has cost the council around £500,000.

Coun Steve Shaw-Wright, the leader of the Labour group, said the vast majority of that £500,000 had been used in the legal battle with Sam Smith's and was made up of compensation, legal costs awarded against the council and the authority's own legal fees.

Coun Shaw-Wright said: "I think we're wasting the tax-payers' money. I'm critical of the council as if our planning reports were of such a high quality they could not have had holes picked in them and Sam Smith's would not have had a case to take us to court so it's not Sam Smith's that's at the fault it's the council."

But Selby Council defended its actions and said the final decisions were taken by councillors.

A spokesman said: "Planning decisions of this type are made by councillors at the planning committee who take into account the advice of their professional officers, the views of the applicants and their agents, the public and other statutory consultees.

"To be valid, decisions have to be made on the basis of material planning considerations as set out in local, regional and national planning policy.

"Where the council feels that it has met its obligations to properly reach a planning decision it will usually defend its actions at any appeal or judicial review."

The Press contacted Samuel Smith's, but the company did not want to comment.

In theory the equestrian centre will now have to be demolished. The Press tried to contact the centre's owners, but were unable to.