DO we at last glimpse common sense on the menu in the long planning wrangle over Puccino's, the Blackburn town-centre caf the council wanted to shut while thousands called for it stay open?

For tomorrow the planning application by owner Ian Finch comes before councillors a year after his initial bid for consent for his deli-bar was rejected on the grounds that it was a non-retail business in an area earmarked for shops.

Howls of protest followed. Mr Finch had ploughed his redundancy money into the venture and stood to lose his livelihood. Puccino's had swiftly become extremely popular and would be greatly missed. And the area already had lots of non-retail businesses -- not least the new Halifax bank in the same block, for which councillors had actually waived the rule.

In short, Mr Finch was seen by many as the small businessman being unfairly treated by unfeeling bureaucrats. But a key factor in the dispute was his failure to seek change-of-use consent in the first place.

Now, the matter is up for decision once more. And again planning officers are recommending refusal -- but, this time, they have listed the conditions they would like to see imposed if councillors reject their advice and give consent.

There's a lifeline to sanity and fairness if there ever was one. Councillors should grab it and give Puccino's the OK.