HOW barmy can the planning department at Darlington Borough Council be?

We are redeveloping the retail site on the corner of Skinnergate and Bondgate in the town. The buildings around there are predominantly white render.

We ask for planning permission in the same style, but the planners asked for the elevations to be built in reclaimed bricks. How attractive, we thought. It will break up the render finishes and leave a smart building.

But no, they want us to cover them up with render so no one will ever see them. How ridiculous is that?

If they want render then block work would be far more "green"

friendly as it would be lighter and therefore require less steel work for support. If they want to go to the trouble of choosing a special brick, then what is the point in then covering them up?

You can't see bricks through render and, in fact, if you look closely at the other rendered shops in Bondgate, the render is marked to look like block work.

Do we have the daftest planning department in the area and has anybody else got other crazy stories like this?

F Peter Robinson, Thomas Watson, Auctioneers, Darlington.