REGARDING your report (LET, December 16), that Hyndburn Council has deferred a decision on plans to build houses on land on Mill Street, Clayton-le-Moors, to assess the possible impact on traffic in the areas.

As this is at the already-overloaded junction of Blackburn and Whalley Road, it does seem to be the sensible move to make.

Yet, at the same time, I have learned from the planning section that an application has been granted for a taxi booking office in the same area, despite recommendations to reject the plan by the planning department.

As part of its trade uses vehicles, this will have a detrimental impact on the traffic situation. It will also have an impact on trade to the existing businesses, as no parking is available for these premises.

Despite this, the leader of the Labour Party supported the use of public parking spaces for private operations. I think this sets a dangerous precedent.

If private businesses are to occupy public parking areas as a means of carrying on trading, then how are the trades who rely on the public using these spaces to survive?

These decisions, when placed together, do not give the impression that the council is acting in the best interest of the people of Clayton-le-Moors.

If they were, some uniformity would exist in what was passed and what was not.

DAVID McLOUGHLIN, (Secretary, St Mary's Court Residents Association), Clayton-le-Moors.

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