XANADU has been branded a white elephant.

Pennington resident Jim Bamford - one of Friday's protesters who buttonholed councillors - declared:"The local authority can't repair the roads or empty the bins properly. How can they possibly cope with something of this scale.

"This will be a white elephant.

"There is 70 acres of public land worth around £11 million with planning permission. If they want to divest themselves of £11m of public land why not get rid and put it back into funds.

"The by-pass is not wide enough for this scheme. They will have to put another lane alongside.

"The councillors here today can't tell us anything. We have had planning, legal and technical advice. It's a load of rubbish, we know more than they do.

"The councillors should do their homework before they come to a meeting like this and listen to the people who may vote for them. Their days are numbered on the Council."

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