What has Colchester Council's cabinet agreed with Alumno?

At last week’s cabinet meeting, Sir Bob Russell suggested that now planning application for the Cultural Quarter has been rejected, the council should pull the plug on the whole issue by refusing to agree a lease for our land.

He was told by councillor Tim Young that the issue is in Alumno’s hand and “there were contractual matters”.

This can only mean one thing and that is that the council, through its Amphora Trading arm assisted by councillor David King, has agreed a lease with Alumno "subject to planning permission" and before the planning committee had given its decision.

It must have thought that as the council planning officers were recommending acceptance, the whole thing was a done deal. How wrong they were!

Had the lease negotiations waited until after the planning committee, the cabinet could have accepted this and stopped the conclusion of a lease.

Now these contractual conditions mean that Alumno has a clear incentive to appeal against the planning committee decision, rather than having to drop its plans.

The council could then have considered something more in keeping with the local community.

Now an appeal will cost rate payers money whatever the outcome.

Alan Short

Oaks Drive, Colchester