WEEK after week readers are exposed to dismissive claims by Philip Congdon about the presumed impact of a Safeway store in Great Harwood.

After lashing Hyndburn Council for not prejudging the Safeway planning application, he has turned his condemnatry attention to the Globe Centre in Accrington (Letters, June 10).

He has published a 15 page report on the Safeway propsal without first attempting to meet the council, Safeway or the applicant to discuss the issues objectively.

He has produced no evidence of collusion between the council and Safeway, which he alleges in his report.

He is now contradicting his own letter of September 4 1998, when he wrote: "To be successful, the supermarket will have to attract outsiders to come into town. The hidden bonus for existing traders is that this could also mean a terrific boost to local shop sales and more employment."

He now refers to facts about the Globe Centre developments as 'double talk.'

I met Mr Congdon recently at the Globe Centre with Nigel Rix, the council's director of regeneration, to discuss his concerns about the Safeway proposal.

He did not want the supermarket on the Queen Street site which is directly opposite to his comments of September 4 1998, in which he said that in any future project Queen Street and the town centre must also be considered, the aim being to produce a new commercial town centre inclusive of a major supermarket. Mr Rix explained that almost 1,000 people are working at the Globe Centre, that in their recent expansion Air Tours recruited an additional 230 new local employees; that more than 25 firms are located in over 100,000 sq ft of business space on a site which was completely derelict four years ago; that of those firms, at least 10 are new businesses, not relocations; that major training opportunities have been created for students in catering and shortly in hair and beauty.

Less than 40 Hyndburn staff are employed in the Globe Centre, under 10 per cent of the council's workforce. Lancashire County Council education and property staff number 120 and were previously located throughout East Lancashire.

The Globe Centre is an outstanding commercial success recognised regionally and nationally. So why no such recognition from Mr Congdon?

COUNCILLOR P CLARKE, Chairman Economic Development Board, Hyndburn Council.

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