THE DECISION by Environment Secretary John Prescott not to hold a public inquiry into the huge and controversial Bellman Quarry project in Clitheroe is both strange and displeasing.

For, whatever the merits and demerits of this scheme, one factor alone demanded that it should have been openly and thoroughly examined at an inquiry - that of its immensity.

This, after all, entails the extraction of 30million tonnes of limestone over 30 years, turning the area into Britain's biggest quarrying complex.

What sort of minister, charged with the protection of the environment, washes his hands of the country's biggest hole in the ground and its impact on the surroundings and the community?

In our view, it is a neglectful and irresponsible one. Twelve days ago county councillors gave highly-qualified consent for the quarrying application by Castle Cement but, at the same time, invited Mr Prescott to "call in" the scheme for a public inquiry.

They obviously thought it was simply too big, too portentous and too controversial to be passed by ordinary planning procedures.

Yet, Mr Prescott has ignored that.

Worse, he has ignored the right of both sides - the company and the protesters who have waged a five-year fight against the plan - to have the fullest opportunity to state their case.

So this giant scheme is passed with only second-hand consultation.

It is a flaw in the planning system that, in cases of this magnitude, opponents of a plan - unlike applicants who are refused consent - do not have the right to trigger a public inquiry and must rely instead first on councillors to push it under the nose of the minister and then on his whim to see whether he picks it up.

Having failed to do that, Mr Prescott should at least have the decency to explain his decision.

And if he does, we are sure it will be difficult to convince many people why he washed his hands of such a massive and momentous project - or is it because it is in a Tory area?

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