IT’S disgraceful that Knutsford Town Council’s planning committee decided they weren’t going to discuss the latest submissions regarding the BeWILDerwood application for Tatton Park.

According to Clr Gardiner, the new information “is of a technical nature relating to highways and nature conservation and matters on which the town council is not qualified”.

If town councillors aren’t qualified to discuss the new information regarding this application, should they comment on any planning matters?

How can they even comment on Cheshire East’s local plan?

As the application didn’t even make the planning committee agenda on February 10, I, along with other Knutsford residents who are following the slow progress of these very expensive plans, were denied our democratic right to speak at the meeting.

Knutsford Town Council does not make sub-committee minutes available to residents as part of its full council agenda.

The first anyone heard about the planning committee’s decision was when the minutes were posted online last Wednesday, February 18.

Again, an opportunity to question the council about its lack of qualification to discuss planning applications was missed as nobody, bar the councillors, knew about the decision.

Are residents now expected to turn up at every committee meeting on the off chance that a councillor may comment on a development which, if approved, will have a huge impact on our town, even if it’s not on the agenda?

JULIE TEMPEST Knutsford