Leale’s Yard: it might be a case of now or never

Tuesday 17th August 2010, 2:29PM BST.

Leale's Yard. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0982402)

REFUSING the Leale’s Yard planning application and forcing the developer to start again from scratch would make it unlikely to reapply, according to a planning officer.

The statement was contained in the minutes of an Environment Department board meeting that decided the proposed site would have to be shrunk by 20%. They have been released in the wake of extensive criticism from the Co-op.

The principal forward planning officer said the new planning law had no provision to consider an outline application without an environmental impact report. That would mean the developer of a major project would be forced to submit a full application.