'Wild West' water wheel plans re-submitted despite rejection

In a rare move the plan to erect the 5.3m-wide wheel will be put before councillors just weeks after they rejected it outright.

Planning officers at Derwentside District Council argue councillors wrongly penalised the developer for previous "persistent transgressions" and not proper planning grounds.

Developer Les Smith, who boasts Paul Gascoigne as a visitor to his fishing and leisure complex at Knitsley Mill at Knitsley, near Consett, argues that there had been a water wheel on the site back in the 1300s, and his wheel was in keeping with the area.

But councillors last month rejected the scheme saying they were annoyed Mr Smith had applied for planning permission retrospectively on a number of occasions.

They also heeded a formal objection from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England.

It said: "The wheel is more reminiscent of the Wild West than it is of rural County Durham."

Head of planning at Derwentside Council, Peter Reynolds, re-submitted the application.

He said: "I believe the overall decision to refuse the application was as a result of the applicant's persistent trans- gressions, and the committee's desire to take him to task, rather than on cogent planning considerations."

He said a recent study by district auditors reinforced the importance of decisions being made in accordance with the planning officer's advice.

Chairman of the planning committee, Councillor Eric Turner, said he had never known a planning officer re-submit an application in his ten years at the committee.

He said: "I voted for the proposal, but I think a lot of people on the committee are a little bit tired of this group applying retrospectively for everything.

"But the fact is you have to reject something on the proper grounds."

Mr Smith, who works as a dentist in Durham City, was unavailable for comment last night.

The wheel has already been in place, but was taken down for repairs.

Councillors will make a new judgement on Monday.