a)  The period for making the objections was timetabled for December 22nd 2000 to January 12th 2001. Anne Lee's telephone request to the planing Office for an extension, to allow for potential objectors to be contacted over the 'dead' Christmas/New Year period, was refuesd. It is evident that manymore objections would have been submitted had more time been allowed.

b)  The DECISION to 'offer No objections' to the planning application was NOT made by the ELECTED COUNCILLORS, but by Area Planning Officer, Denis Harling, under 'delegated leglisation'. This was endorsed by the Chief Planing Officer, C F Brown, on 22nd February 2001. This means that the decision to approve the plans was made by the same person who advertised the application & received the objections! Although it is apparent that the decision was a foregone concluson, an interval of 8 weeks was allowed to pass(to suggest that the application was put to the Planning Committee Meeting?) before objectors were notified that the COUNCIL had approved the plans. Democracy was not even seen to be done. It was a sham.

c)  The objectors, who made the effort to write, believed that their objections would be considered by the Planing sub-Committee before being put to the full Council meeting.

d)  The Planning Officer dismissed the objections on the grounds that most of them were based on 'inaccurate information'. He presented no evidence to verify this assertation.

e)  The letters of objection were copied and submitted to the 'Developing Department' in accordance with Section 4(21) of Circular 18/84. They have been sent to Mr Howard Taylor, Ministr of Defence Land Agent, North Yorkshire. Howard Taylor is not, however, the 'Developing Department'; he is merely the conduit for the Ministry of Defence acting on behalf of the United States Department of Defense. In December 2000, the plans were submitted with a request from Howard Taylor that the planning procedure be bypassed! By accident, we discovered this letter in a different file.