4 Councillors voted to approve the application.
1 Voted against
There were around 12 members of the public present.
I agree with a comment made after the meeting the public were not made to feel included. This is not the fault of Oakham Town Council more the attempt by the council to follow the rules.
This is a bit tongue in cheek it was noted Rutland County Councillor Peter Jones was making good use of his i-pad. Oakham town council are not as progressive as RCC all mobile and electrical equipment are banned during council meetings.
Back to Sainsbury.
The Town Clerk explained the role of the Town Council and its statutory duty when it come to planning .
He made a good attempt to influence those council members present by suggesting they were not qualified to make any recommendation. Sorry but not the Clerks role. I am pleased to say no member was agreeing with his opinion. I do feel the member have forgotten they are or could be a powerful voice for the people they represent. In future I hope councillor will consult with the people who they represent and that will help them make a better informed decisions in the future.
Councillor Charles Haworth, correctly gave his view, Hawksmead is a monstrous development and Sainsbury should not add to it.
Councillor Mark Woodcock said the town needed a choice and agreed with competition.
Councillor Lorna Grey Also agreed with Councillor Woodcock, It was her personal view Tesco should not have been built in the centre of our town. She hoped Sainsbury would be asked to assist with town centre improvements and said the west end of the town was a disgrace.
Councillor Maureen Dodds said they must think of the people who will be moving into the new homes.
If Rutland County Council now go to improve the development the make sure Sainsbury do really respect the environment around them. I hope we don't see plastic hanging from the the surrounding trees.
