TAKE AWAYS

There is something fundamentally wrong with the mindset of our County Council when it comes to what is good and what is bad for Colwyn Bay.
A recent decision was made to allow a change of use at 19, Abergele Road, from a retail outlet to a Kebab and Pizza take away; this is despite there being two other Kebab and Pizza take away premises within 100 yards of it. We have, I am reliably informed, already got 19 take away establishments between East and West End, nearly double what Llandudno has. By allowing such an application not only are the Council putting extra strain on existing take away businesses but they are turning us into the “Take away Capital” of North Wales.
Take away owners are, obviously, up in arms about this decision; they were advised to form a petition when news of the application reached them, which they did, stating that a new take away would be bad for their business, this alone is not a legitimate reason for complaint, they, along with every other member of the public, would have been far better writing individual letters of objection to the Case Officer, they were badly advised.
Once the decision is reached by the Case Officer there are no grounds for appeal, their only option is to take it to the High Court and who, in these economic times, can afford to do that.
Here, in Colwyn Bay, we are fast becoming a collection of Charity Shops, get rich quick seasonal shops, £ shops and now take aways; there appears to be no thought, on the part of the Council, for other businesses or the people who live here. This all falls nicely into place when you consider the Council would like to see the town become an Administration Centre, the less attractive it becomes as a tourist or shopping destination, the less complaints the Council will have to their proposals.
I have to question myself and wonder if I am the only one who sees it this way, am I, perhaps, paranoid, or would the Council stoop to such levels to achieve their goals; I think we may only have to wait a short time to find out the answer.