SO, its all over bar the shouting.

Plans have been published, objections have been lodged, letters have been written, meetings have been held, site visits have been made, the planning committee has been convened and surprise, surprise -- guess what? -- consent has been granted for 12 flats at Mill Road, Walmersley, subject to a "bat count".

"What's a bat count?" I hear you ask.

Apparently the site in question is inhabited by a bat colony, and a count of said bats is vital to the decision process. But just how do you accurately count bats, which are nocturnal creatures and, when they do appear, fly erratically? More significantly, what is the "target figure" for bats to have significant effect on the decision? Is it five, 10, 20, 100? Has it even been discussed ?

Forgive me, but this situation has degenerated into a complete farce.

Working for a council (not Bury) I can recognise a token gesture when I see one, and I am prepared to predict that the bat count will be insufficient to stop the project.

As I say, it's all over bar the shouting. But I don't think we can lay the matter to rest without commenting on the part played by the two councillors involved. The councillors who attended the initial meeting offered two pieces of advice:

Restrict your objections to those items which relate purely to the logistics of the proposal (traffic flow etc).

If consent is withheld, an appeal can be made, which, if won, means the council will bear the legal costs.

In other words, do not even mention your greatest fear -- which is the mental health of the flat dwellers -- and think twice before opposing the proposal, because this may increase the council's costs. This from people who were elected to represent the council tax payers and their concerns.

If this is sound advice, what does it say about the democratic process within Bury MBC?

As I said in my original letter, the whole procedure bears the hallmarks of a fait accompli, and nothing that has been said or done in the meantime causes me to change my mind.

DAVID RIMMER

Bevis Green,

Walmersley, Bury.