WHAT a shame that Cotswold district councillors could not extend outside their "jobsworth" attitude and layers of obviously important red tape and try to assist the owners of the scrapyard on the A429 Moreton-Stratford road to regularise the business opportunity, instead of seeking to shut down a fledgling business enterprise (Journal, August 28).

How can a motor scrapyard be more in keeping on the site than a small garden centre?

I know what I might prefer to see if I was a visitor to the area, even one that was just passing through!

Surely it would have been much more in keeping with the ethos of the area to encourage the growth of such outlets and, perhaps, offer to provide a couple of signs to warn traffic of possible stationary vehicles ahead instead of the cop-out of citing the possible danger aspects.

There is, surely, more benefit to the local government coffers in charging a retrospective planning fee than spending untold amounts in tracing owners and serving legal notices.

It is difficult enough to get small businesses off the ground in these trying times without placing such obstacles in their way.

Furthermore, could the enlightened members of the District Council please indicate which of the other businesses in the local area would have been in danger of losing trade due to such an "aggressive" trading partner?

Apart from the local market stalls on a Tuesday, there is only one other seller of green things on the other side of town, and I hardly think that they will notice too much loss of trade, unless they really are worried about some honest competition!

On a final note, how was the original approval granted when the site did not appear to comply with the laws covering scrap dealers and car breakers, regarding hard-standings and public safety?

Shame on you, district council. There are far more insidious breaches of planning law in the area that you should be dealing with than worry about a genuine development opportunity.

David Beeton

Shipston-on-Stour