HAVING had some recent contacts and objections to planning applications, I have come to the conclusion that City of York Council planning department and its committees are a waste of taxpayers’ money.

An approval this week to convert a residential property into a fish and chip shop with an eating area backing on to other residents’ gardens seems crazy. This was previously refused with pages of reasoning and yet all now seems fine, with little change.

I photographed a delivery lorry in front of this site and sent it to the planners with detail as follows.

All the properties in this row have no facility when parking and cycle provision is in place to accept legal deliveries. An articulated lorry delivering was parked fully on the footpath alongside the zigzags of a pedestrian crossing and next to a bus stop.

No vehicle of this size can turn around legally to service the premises and no space exists to park anywhere on the roadside.

As far as I can see the first accident to happen involving vehicles and pedestrians will be down to the council planning department.

Philip E Sunley, Paddock Way, York.