Watchdog criticises council for failing to talk to public in supermarket row

COUNCILLORS IN a Yorkshire city should have consulted the public about a contentious supermarket planning application in 2016, an independent review has found.

The Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) has criticised York Council for not talking to the public about plans for the former Groves Chapel – now a Co-op store – and the authority for not making its guidance clear.

The investigation was launched after former resident Andrew Dickinson complained about the case. In a final decision notice, the ombudsman’s investigator said the council was at fault for “failing to impress on councillors the importance of discussing applications with the public”.

A planning application was submitted in 2015 for the site – which had for years been owned by the NHS hospital trust.

Developers wanted to convert the building into a convenience store – originally Sainsburys although it has now been opened by the Co-op – and 16 apartments. Those plans faced fierce opposition from neighbours. Planning permission was granted in 2016, but Mr Dickinson then took the case to the ombudsman, because councillors on the planning committee were not prepared to talk to him about his concerns.

The findings now say the council’s own guidelines were not clear enough to councillors, and that if no councillors would talk to him about the case that was “clearly unsatisfactory”.

A York Council spokesman said they were reviewing the LGO’s decision.