Decision is wrong

You would be incredibly hard of heart not to sympathise with Ann Colthart.

Ann is the retired teacher who complained when a construction project saw houses being built too close to her home in Connel, in breach of planning regulations.

Last week there was genuine anger when Argyll and Bute Council’s planning committee approved the new-build, despite it being the result of ‘mistakes’.

I think the planning committee has got it badly wrong in this instance.

Not only is Ann quite right to feel aggrieved – and she has pledged that the fight is not yet over – but the decision sets a dangerous precedent.

Will developers in future be able to turn round when mistakes have been made and point to this decision and say, quite reasonably: ‘ Well, you flouted the planning rule in that case’?