AS the author of the alleged 'smears' of Hyndburn Council, may I reply to the remarks of its Director of Regeneration Nigel Rix (Letters, May 21), regarding Safeway's planning application for a supermarket in Great Harwood, earlier reports that I would not meet him face-to-face and the nonsense that I had my 'knuckles rapped.'

I have now met Mr Rix. He saw no connection between the timing of the Safeway application, the council elections, a promotional road show on the plan and a canvassing council leader who pinned his future on approving the Safeway proposals.

Election or not, he saw no problem with council officials fronting the Safeway plans, which included flawed consultancy papers promoting the application. He did not think that this might be understood as tacit council approval or the council promoting the project.

Far from being false or unsubstantial, the points in my report are reasoned and speak for themselves. Because the council did not like recorded answers given by their executive, they decided to remove my report from public view. So much for free speech. At our meeting, I gave Mr Rix the opportunity, in company, to ask questions pertaining to my report. He asked none. Instead, he chose to probe my business life. I found that revealing.

Many of the contentious issues raised in my report (the nursery, traffic and environmental issues) should have been resolved before the submission of the planning application. They were not.

There was no answer for that. What on earth do we pay the planning staff for if it is not to look after the collective interest of the borough?

My opinion that Hyndburn Council is unfit to make a decision regarding the Safeway planning application remains unchanged.

PHILIP CONGDON, Hindle Fold Lane, Great Harwood.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.